Leblebi

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Leblebi

Leblebi, dehulled
Type	Snack
Place of origin	Turkey and Middle East
Main ingredients	Chickpeas
Cookbook: Leblebi   Media: Leblebi

Leblebi (Turkish: leblebi; Mesopotamian Arabic: لبلبي‎, romanized: leblebi; Arabic: قضامة‎, romanized: Qdameh, Qudamah; Persian: نخودچی‎, romanized: Nokhodchi; Sicilian: Càlia)^{[citation needed]} is a snack made from roasted chickpeas, common and popular in Iran, Syria , Lebanon, Iraq, Greece and Turkey, and sometimes seasoned with salt, hot spices, dried cloves, or candy coated. In Tunisia, the term refers to a very popular chickpea-based breakfast soup which also includes egg and stale bread.

Chickpeas used for leblebi are selected for shape, size, color, and harvesting time, and vary by cultivar. Generally, large-seeded (8 –9 mm in diameter and 30.0 –50.0 g of 100 kernel weight^{[clarification needed]}), lighter-colored, round, and smooth surfaced Kabuli chickpeas are preferred; a thick seed coat and hull, easy to remove from the kernel is requisite. Harvesting time determines the tempering process and quality of leblebi; chickpeas are cleaned and classified by size, with undeveloped, damaged, shrunken, and broken chickpeas discarded.

There are two different kinds of leblebi- dehulled leblebi (Sarı Leblebi and Girit Leblebi) and nondehulled leblebi (Beyaz Leblebi and Sakız Leblebi) -introduced from Anatolia to North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and some parts of Asia by Turks. Production ranges from Turkey to the Middle East. In Turkey, the primary leblebi-producing region is Çorum, with a few additional local varieties such as Ağın Leblebi, Çorum Leblebi, and Mardin Leblebi.

History[]

Record of the origins of leblebi are scarce, though it is thought to date back to 1000–1500 CE in Iran.

Methods[]

The methods of leblebi production are an inherited tradition, with the steps and the equipment used varying. Utensils generally include tools for cleaning, grading, and heating, with preparation as follows:

1. cleaning and grading
2. soaking
3. tempering (preheating and resting)
4. boiling
5. resting
6. roasting
7. dehulling

Etymology[]

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Leblebi likely comes from the Arabic word leblab (لبلاب), referring to Lablab, a domesticated pulse with edible beans – thus 'leblebi' means 'made from leblab'.

Beyond Turkey[]

Roasted chickpeas are a popular snack in Iran and throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, Greece (Greek: στραγάλια), Sicily.

Trivia[]

Ottoman composer Tigran Chukhajian (1837–1898) composed an operetta titled Leblebidji Hor-Hor Agha (The Chickpea Vendor) in 1875.

See also[]

• Lablabi (Tunisian dish)

References[]

• Bilgir (1976).Türk leblebilerinin yapılışı ve bileşimi üzerinde araştırmalar. Ege Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Yayınları. No:232, Bornova İzmir:Ege Üniversitesi Matbaası,106.
• Leblebi: a Roasted Chickpea Product as a Traditional Turkish Snack Food, Food Reviews International, Vol 20, Number 3/2004, pages 257 - 274, (2004).
• Comparison of physical properties of raw and roasted chickpeas (leblebi), Food Research International, Vol 31; Number 9, pages 659-665, (1999).