Hilbeh (Dessert)
 | |
| Type | Dessert |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Levant |
| Main ingredients | Semolina, Fenugreek, Olive Oil |
In Palestinian cuisine, Hilbeh, Hulbah, or Fenugreek Cake (Arabic: حلبة) is a dessert made from fenugreek seeds, olive oil, and semolina, topped with nuts, nigella seeds, or sesame, then coated in sugar syrup, which soaks into the cake.[1]
Name
[edit]It is named after the Arabic name for fenugreek, which is Hilba (Arabic: حلبة, romanized: ḥilbah).[2] Thus, the name Hilbeh can refer to different dishes that use fenugreek, for example, there is a drink called hilbeh, and a condiment named hilbeh.[3][4] Sometimes the name Fenugreek cake is used instead in the English language.[1][5]
It is sometimes referred to as Saniyit Hulba (Arabic: صينية حلبة, lit. 'tray of fenugreek').[1]
Ingredients and Preparation
[edit]The fenugreek seeds need to be soaked in water for a while before being used to remove any bitter taste.[6][1]
The cake is a simple semolina cake similar to basbousa, fenugreek seeds are mixed into a batter made of semolina flour and olive oil, which is then baked, and then sugar and rose water syrup is added to it as a topping along with sesame or nigella seeds. The cake is cut into diamond shaped piece by first cutting in straight horizontal lines then diagonal lines, forming a slanted grid shape.[6][1][7]
Consumption
[edit]Hilbeh is particularly popular in Palestine, but it is described as a "love it or hate it" dish.[8][9] The dish is also popular among bedouin people.[10]
Fenugreek is believed to have various medicinal properties, such as improving blood flow, and aiding in breast feeding.[8][9][11]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e El-Haddad, Laila. "Fenugreek Olive Oil Cake (Saniyit Hulba)". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
- ^ K. Bedevian, Armenag (2006). "Vol. 2". المعجم المصور لأسماء النباتات [Illustrated Dictionary of Plant Names] (in Arabic). p. 777. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "فوائد الترمس ومشروب الحلبة المنبتة لمواجهة أضرار الكحك في العيد". www.akhbar-sharq.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ "What's on the menu at Louf, chef Fadi Kattan's new Palestinian restaurant". Toronto Life. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Tamimi, Sami. "Helbeh (Fenugreek cake)". Sami Tamimi. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Hilbeh (Fenugreek cake)". Middle East Monitor. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Reem, Kassis (8 December 2021). "Palestinian Semolina and Fenugreek Cake with Orange Blossom". Spice Kitchen. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b Kassis, Reem (23 October 2017). The Palestinian Table. Phaidon Press. p. 220. ISBN 978-0-7148-7496-8. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ a b Ottolenghi, Yotam; Tamimi, Sami (16 October 2012). Jerusalem: A Cookbook. Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed. ISBN 978-1-60774-395-8. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Maimon, Rotem. "Ramadan dessert recipe: Sabriyah Abu Beri's hilbe (fenugreek) pastry". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 1 Jun 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
- ^ Kassis, Reem (15 February 2022). "National Cuisine Is a Useful Illusion". The Atlantic. Retrieved 3 June 2025.