Lebeniye Soup (Lebeniye çorbası)
Overview
Lebeniye is a yogurt soup from south-eastern Turkey, most closely associated with Gaziantep and Hatay. Yogurt is whisked with egg so it stays smooth when heated, then cooked with chickpeas and either tiny meatballs or rice. Garlic and butter sizzled with dried mint finish the pot. It is creamy and tangy but more substantial than yayla soup, and in Gaziantep it is often made with very small meatballs rolled by hand. It is eaten hot as a main soup, especially in cooler months.
History
The name comes from the Arabic word for yogurt or milk, reflecting the shared food culture of south-eastern Turkey and the wider Levant. Yogurt cooked with meat, a combination found in dishes across the region, has long been a hallmark of Gaziantep cuisine. Lebeniye is one of several local yogurt dishes that the city's cooks are known for.
Main ingredients
Yogurt, chickpeas, small meatballs or rice, egg, garlic, dried mint. The soup is built on yogurt and stock and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; usually gluten-free.
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~65 min
Ingredients
- 500 g yogurt, 1 egg
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 200 g minced meat, rolled into tiny balls (or 60 g rice)
- 1 l stock
- 2 garlic cloves
- 30 g butter, 1 tbsp dried mint
Method
- Cook the meatballs (or rice) in the stock with the chickpeas for 15 minutes.
- Whisk yogurt and egg, temper with hot stock and pour into the pot.
- Simmer gently, stirring constantly, for 5-10 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic and finish with mint butter.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.