Kafta — country by country
Minced meat, onion, and parsley — grilled on skewers or baked with potatoes and tahini.
Every country brings its own touch. Here's how they differ.
⚔️ Head to head
Pick two kitchens and see exactly where they part ways.
🇱🇧 Kafta bil-Saniyeh
✨ Tray-baked with potatoes and tomato; some houses drown it in tahini sauce instead.
Only in Lebanon
- ground beef or lamb
- parsley, minced
- seven-spice
- potatoes, sliced
- tomatoes, sliced
- tomato paste
🇪🇬 Kofta
✨ Char-grilled on skewers with a cumin-forward blend, plus a little rice or bulgur binder in some homes.
Only in Egypt
- ground beef with fat
- parsley
- cumin
- coriander
- tahina and baladi bread to serve
🤝 Both use
- onion, grated
🇱🇧 Lebanon
⏱ 60 minKnown here as: Kafta bil-Saniyeh
The weeknight hero: kafta baked under tomato and potato rounds until bubbling.
✨ What makes it special
Tray-baked with potatoes and tomato; some houses drown it in tahini sauce instead.
🇪🇬 Egypt
⏱ 35 minKnown here as: Kofta
Egyptian kofta hits the charcoal, perfumed with rice-cart spices and served with tahina and baladi bread.
✨ What makes it special
Char-grilled on skewers with a cumin-forward blend, plus a little rice or bulgur binder in some homes.
🇸🇾 Syria
⏱ 50 minKnown here as: Kabab Hindi
Syria's saucy answer: kafta fingers simmered in tomato with a whisper of cherry sourness in Aleppo.
✨ What makes it special
Simmered in tomato sauce (or famously with sour cherries — kabab karaz) rather than grilled dry.