Qurabiya facts for kids
Crescent shaped qurabiya
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| Type | Shortbread |
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| Main ingredients | Almond flour, sugar, egg white, vanilla |
Qurabiya (also ghraybe, ghorayeba, ghoriba (Arabic: غريبة), ghribia, ghraïba, or ghriyyaba and numerous other spellings and pronunciations) is a shortbread-type biscuit, usually made with ground almonds. Versions are found in most countries of the former Ottoman Empire, with various different forms and recipes.
In the Maghreb and Egypt, it is often served with Libyan tea, Arabic coffee or Maghrebi mint tea. Ghoriba has been around in the Greater Syria area, Iraq and other Arab countries since ancient times. They are similar to polvorones from Andalusia.
Contents
History
A recipe for a shortbread cookie similar to ghorayebah but without almonds, called in Arabic khushkanānaj gharib (exotic cookie), is given in the earliest known Arab cookbook, the 10th-century Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ. Kurabiye appears in the Ottoman cuisine in the 15th century.
There is some debate about the origin of the words. Some give no other origin for the Turkish word kurabiye than Turkish, while others have given Arabic or Persian. Among others, linguist Sevan Nişanyan has given an Arabic origin, in his 2009 book of Turkish etymology, from ġurayb or ğarîb (exotic). However, as of 2019, Nişanyan's online dictionary now gives the earliest known recorded use in Turkish as the late 17th century, with an origin from the Persian gulābiya, a cookie made with rose water, from gulāb, related to flowers. He notes that the Syrian Arabic words ġurābiye/ġuraybiye likely derive from the Turkish.
Regional variations
Algeria
Ghribia (Algerian Arabic: غريبية)
- Ghribia with almonds
- Ghribia with peanuts
- Ghribia with walnuts
- Ghribia with pistachios
Armenia
Khourabia (Armenian: Ղուրաբիա) is the Armenian version sometimes referred to in English as Armenian butter cookie or Armenian shortbread cookie. Khourabia was traditionally made with three ingredients: butter, sugar, and flower and usually shaped like bread, wheat ear, or horse shoe signifying health, wealth, and prosperity. It was mostly eaten during the Easter, Christmas, and New Year celebrations. Later, more ingredients were added, like eggs, cinnamon, and walnuts.
Bulgaria
Kurabii name of the Bulgarian cuisine and the many varieties of cookie, a popular sweet variety. Especially during the holiday season, and a variety of jams produced via the new year with powdered sugar cookies decorated with cute shapes are called maslenki.
Greece
The Greek version, called kourabiedes or kourabiethes (Greek: κουραμπιέδες) resembles a light shortbread, typically made with almonds. Kourabiedes are sometimes made with brandy, usually Metaxa, for flavouring, though vanilla, mastika or rose water are also popular. In some regions of Greece, Christmas kourabiedes are adorned with a single whole spice clove embedded in each biscuit. Kourabiedes are shaped either into crescents or balls, then baked till slightly golden. They are usually rolled in icing sugar while still hot, forming a rich butter-sugar coating. Kourabiedes are especially popular for special occasions, such as Christmas or baptisms.
Iran
In Tabriz, they are made of almond flour, sugar, egg white, vanilla, margarine and pistachio. It is served with tea, customarily placed on top of the teacup to make it soft before eating.
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Kuwait
Variants including:
Levant
- Ghoriba with pistachio
- Ghoriba with Rose water
Libya
Ghraïba Libyan Arabic translation : | غربية
- Ghoriba with peanuts
- Ghoriba with almonds
- Ghoriba with walnuts
Morocco
Ghoriba (Moroccan Arabic: غْرِيبَة) in Morocco and other parts of the Maghreb, the popular cookies often use semolina instead of white flour, giving a distinctive crunch.
- Mlouwza, made with almonds and sugar flavored with orange flower water
- Ghoriba bahla
- Ghoriba dyal zite
- Ghoriba mramla
Turkey
The word kurabiye is used to refer to a variety of biscuits in Turkey, not necessarily local ones, although various types of local kurabiye are made; including acıbadem kurabiyesi and un kurabiyesi.
Tunisia
Ghraïba (Tunisian Arabic: غريبة)
- Ghraïba bidha, made with wheat flour
- Ghraïba droô, made with sorghum flour
- Ghraïba homs, made with chickpea flour
Images for kids
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A large assortment of Kourabiedes in Greece
See also
In Spanish: Ghorabiye para niños
