What the Heck is a Kibi?!

[Lisa Love Juliot]

Out and about on the beaches and in the city areas of the Riviera Maya and the Yucatan Peninsula a common sight is the Kibi vendor.  

 

So what the heck is a Kibi anyway!?  

 

Kibbeh is a common food in Syria, Palestine, the entire
Middle East, part of Caucasus as well as in Armenia and is traditionally
considered the national dish of Lebanon. In its most current form it consists
of minced meat of lamb with bulgur and spices. Its standard name in Arabic is
Kubba, although the pronunciation varies according to area.  In the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico the Kibi
as it called, is prepared with rough ground wheat and ground pork or beef.  In the Riviera Maya and Yucatan no Kibi is
complete without red onions, habanero chile and sour orange juice and sometimes
shredded cabbage. 

The Kibi is prepared by mixing the ground meat with wheat
and spices, usually a touch of mint is added in this region of Mexico, to form
a stiff dough.  It is formed into a
football shape and then deep fried in a mixture of vegetable oil and manteca- lard.

This delicious treat is a must try for the food
adventurous.  Kibis are usually sold for
$20 pesos or less and are surprisingly filling for being such a small handful of
goodness.  A little Kibi goes a long
way!  They are great beach food since
they can be easily eaten without the use of utensils and they go perfectly with
an ice cold Coca-Cola.  Just ask anyone
from the region!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Lisa Juliot walked across the San Diego, Mexico border 8
years ago, with a backpack and the dream to travel Mexico and Central
America.  A long time blogger and travel
writer, sociologist at heart and amateur photographer, she currently resides in
Playa del Carmen and works as the Social Media Community Manager at
BuyPlaya.