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Kishk is a traditional Lebanese soup with kishk powder, dried yogurt. It has a tangy, garlicky flavor and can include ground meat for additional protein and substance.
There were so many striking things about the day I ate kishk for the first time. As I mentioned, kishk is not something I’d ever heard of, let alone eaten, until recently. I tasted a steaming bowlful after a winter morning’s baking lesson in Lebanese flatbread last year; my teacher, Naemi, walked us up the stairs from her traditional, Sitti-style basement baking area and started in on preparing lunch. As if the glorious scene of the bread baking wasn’t enough to enrapture me, her mouneh, her preserves, were a force to be reckoned with.
There were her own lemony olives, her labne in oil, her clarified butter that she scooped up with a whisk to get her soup going. For a sweet note, jars of fig jam and preserved pumpkin. Garlic cloves, lots and lots of them, were the basis of the soup along with the butter, to which she added a little bundle of ground lamb that seemed to be waiting for this purpose in her tidy refrigerator. I spotted two large bins in the fridge, one of laban (thin yogurt) and one of labne (thicker); how handy.
A kitchen like that is in all kinds of ways exactly what I aspire to. And it’s what the whole DIY, local, organic, food-in-jars, cook-it-yourself movement aspires to. Not to mention the second, third, and no doubt fourth generations of Lebanese Americans (like you and me and so many of us who come together here) with any spot of Lebanon in their history who want to remember and to eat the incredibly good foods of our forebears.
The soup’s mouth-watering scent induced me, finally, to take my eyes off all of the jars long enough to ask what it was she was making. Kishk, she said, slowly pouring a cup of the powder into her meaty garlic-butter broth. What is it? I asked. Soup, she said, reminding me of the kinds of responses I so often get when I ask for details about aspects of Lebanese cuisine from the few women who still cook like she does. The finer points are not going to be verbalized; better watch closely.
We ate the lunch, every bite of it, with the flatbread we had baked that morning—the misshapen ones that Naemi wouldn’t be able to sell. In other words: the ones I made. Little bread scoops (which the Lebanese tear off and fold up so instinctively that I will someday suss out the technique as just that, a technique) enfolded the usual suspects, the olives and labne and lifft. But then Naemi scooped up her kishk the same way, and I realized there were no spoons at the table, no silverware at all actually. I shouldn’t have been surprised; there are few if any foods on a Lebanese plate that are not to be eaten with the bread.
Kishk is less a soup then it is a porridge. Kishk has body, and when it’s made with meat, even more so. The salty yogurt-bulghur powder is not just for soup though; it is very traditionally made into a paste that is spread on man’oushe. Its flavor is first and immediately that of fermentation, so that you could think something might be wrong with it, as you might the first time you taste blue cheese. The fermentation is accompanied by a certain sourness that is trademark labne (the good stuff is always a little sour, not the flat blandness that is grocery store Greek yogurt). I’d say after eating that first bowl of kishk that it is an acquired taste, or at least a taste that you are either for or against. Kishk must absolutely be eaten with the bread, whatever you can get your hands on, be it pita or flatbread or if you must, a piece of toast.
When I made kishk again recently to share with you, I gave Dan a spoonful. He swallowed kind of hard and said, OK. Meaning not even hey, that tasted a-ok, but rather: ok, I got it down. He had never heard of kishk before either, despite his full-blooded Lebanese lines.
I’m not surprised that the kishk didn’t make a grand showing in our Lebanese-American kitchens. It’s serious survival food. The man at the American International bulk foods store way on the south side of Lansing, where I found my kishk, told me in his very thick accent about the kishk in the mountains of Lebanon. He said it is often made into shankleesh cheese, hardened balls of kishk that little children suck on for nourishment as they walk to and fro school. The thought of handing my nephew John a ball of kishk-flavored shankleesh for his pocket treat on his way to school gives “LOL” its true meaning every time it crosses my mind.
With all of my questions about the kishk, the shop owner finally asked, Never had kishk before? Just once, I told him. That’s because you, YOU are American! he said jovially. Yes, I said, thinking of the scene I was setting for my kishk in blue pottery bowls on marble, so different from the dear, old-country feel of Naemi’s table. But I am LEBANESE American, and there’s a difference, I said. I can see that, he said, and then he handed me a candy bar (an imported one) for that difference, as I walked out the door with my kishk.
Kishk Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, finely grated or minced
- 1/2 pound ground lamb or lean ground beef (optional)
- 1 cup kishk powder
- Pinch Dried Mint
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter or heat the oil. Lower the heat and add the garlic, cooking just long enough to release the scent without browning it, about 1 minute. Add the meat and increase the heat to medium, stirring constantly to break up and brown the meat, about 5 minutes.
- Add three cups of water to the pot. Gradually whisk in the kishk powder, a little at a time. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture is thick, 5-10 minutes. Ladle into warm soup bowls and garnish with crushed dried mint. Serve with flatbread or pita.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe,thanks ! Both of my grandmothers also made a kishk drink…..yep….just a cp of kishk before Giddi went to work. He drank it with bread, olives and cheese.
ALso they made kibbee kishk….more or less same recipe, add chopped cabbage…..use more water and more kishk.
Also (phew) we made plain kishk malfouf….just kisch and cabbage. Add mint when cooked…I also add fresh lemon juice to the above recipes.
Wow, that’s a parade of delicious kishk ways! Thank you so much for sharing all of this…so healthy and so flavorful too.
OK. I’m so excited to have found your website and Pinterest board. I was searching for Kishk recipes to see if there was anything other than the “porridge” my Lebanese mother in law, who passed away many years ago, introduced me to this wonderful world of food. I like just about all the dishes but my all time favorite is kishk. She made it for breakfast. No garlic, just onions and lamb. We then we ate it with bread and a few pieces of raw onion !
The problem is it is difficult to find the powder. The Lebanese grocery in my are doesn’t always have it. Any resource would be appreciated.
Thank you for your fabulous website and recipes. I enjoy your writing style.
Thank you so so much Johanna, I’m thrilled you’re here! Kishk is just delicious. I have been trying to source a good one to offer in my own online shop here but still searching. I will keep you posted, promise!
Where can I get good kisik.
I know, it’s a question for me too. I’ve been on the hunt to offer this in my shop. Stay tuned, thank you for asking!
The Olive Tree Grocery is where I bought mine. Located in North Olmsted,Oh
My mother made Kishk frequently. She would drop in kibbee “meatballs” to cook in the thickened broth … so, so good. Kishk – the original instant soup.
I remember my Sitto making a warm bowl of kishk when I would stop by for a visit. She always would put kibbeh balls in it. We would have it frequently at her house. She was from Massar el Shouf in the mountain country and lived through the depression. She could always whip up a meal with whatever she had on hand. Reading this brought me right back into her kitchen. I miss her so and just adore everything about Rose Water & Orange Blossoms. Maureen your descriptions and recipes elicit such wonderful memories of food and family. I’ve even purchased 3 of your cookbook so I and my daughters will each have recipes to remind us of how our food is authentically prepared!
Those Sitto’s could make something out of anything and make it taste phenomenal! Thank you Jeanette for your special note. I’m honored you’re sharing my cookbook with you daughters and sharing in keeping our Lebanese traditions alive!
My paternal grandmother used to make it from scratch and send it over here to montreal when someone would visit her and that was her gift to us. I have loved this dish since I was a child, and I know it as my father’s hometown meal. I love it and making it this week and of course came to maureen’s site. Love your traditional recipes.
How special Marie-Anne, thanks so much for your wonderful memories and kind words.
Aquí en Chile no hay. Así que cada vez que alguien de mi familia , originaria del El Chouf, ( Barouk y Freidis) va o viene del Libano y encargo para pasar los fríos inviernos de esta parte del sur del planeta. Antes lo hacían mis tías dejando secar en los techos, ahora ya lo hacen más industrializado.
Hoy , en este frío domingo de julio , me preparé doble ración para el desayuno. Sabores que hacen añorar la tierra de mis padres y ancestros.
Can you tell me where I might be able to find kishk powder (not the kind in the jar) in/near Wilmington NC. Thanks!
Oh gosh Tammy . . . that’s a tough one. If I come up with a resource for you, I’ll let you know!
My Mother was first generation American born. But our heritage is Lebanese. We have fantastic cooks in our family, some of them professionals. Kishk is my favorite way to enjoy eating kibbe. My Mother would drop the raw kibbe balls in the prepared kishk broth and cook them. And, yes, there was a tiny pat of butter inside the kibbe ball. I am going to try it with ground lamb and garlic. I am very surprised that so many of your Lebanese readers are not familiar with kishk. It is truly delicious. My mouth is watering for it now.
True enough! It is delicious and perhaps not as well known as we would like. Your mother’s way with the kibbeh in kishk sounds delicious!
Latisha, try super kings market! There are a few in the Southern California area.
Maureen my daughter is pregnant, and she is craving soooo badly! Her Tete used to send to us from Syria, but she has passed an ad we do not have access any longer. Does anyone know where she can get in Southern California? Is there another name we can use to get the powder? I only want the best for my daughter and grandbaby.
I hope you can help. Thank you!
If in the northwest (Seattle, WA) check out my uncle’s store, Goodies Mediterranean Market on Lake City Way (North Seattle).
Hands down the best place to find real lebanese/middle Eastern food and sundries. also has fresh butchery, and cafe above serving mana’oushe, shawarma, falafel, etc.
stumbled upon this post. Just had Kishik this morning for breakfast.
grew up eating it with minced or small dice lamb rather than ground.
Tons of garlic coarsely chopped so you get big chunks in. and yes, eating with bread is essential.
also fresh onion, and other greens, fijil(radish), cucumber, tomato, mint (typical Lebanese spread).
Kibbi balls was always a special treat in kishik, perhaps if we had company for brunch.
Sounds so good with kibbeh balls! Thank you!
Could you please send names of distributors or brands of kishik. kishk, keshek in Canada and the US? or online companies where one could purchase.
Try Kalyustians in NYC, Hashem’s in Dearborn!
Oh I love Kishk. I grew up eating every Sunday and thought it was such a treat. Recently I visited some family and he made some Kishk and at it brought back wonderful memories of my Aunts preparing the treat for us. My cousins and I were 2nd generation Lebanese and learned to eat the flatbread with everything. Yes we could tear off a piece, twist, fill and eat without even thinking. It was always fun to see the amazement of guests who would watch us manipulate the bread. I certainly need to order some Kishk and flat bread.
Where can you buy Kishk powder?please text me 505-331-0050 thanks.
I would like to thank you for your interest in the Lebanese Culinary Patrimony. I will allow myself to suggest only one thing concerning Kishk cooking, try putting the powder after the water this will reduce the chance of lumping as wellas the risk of sticking the powder to the pan. and another small note about chankleesh, its is a cheese like preparation made of only yogurt without any wheat or bourghol in it. thank you again.
Thank you Marc! Love your kishk method. My research indicates that the shankleesh can be and is made both ways, with and without the bulgur whea–perhaps without is the more common approach!
My mother made Kishk all the time … it’s surprising to hear of Lebanese folks who have never heard of it! I loved it – Ma always made it with kibbeh balls floating in it and it was so good. I seem to remember that she used lamb stock rather than plain water and I think sometimes she cooked lamb shanks in it as well.
I have only attempted making it once, and it was a dismal failure (don’t remember why). I need to try again because I miss it very much.
Recently, I received a kilo of kishk from a friend who have visited Beirut, Lebanon. Today, I made the kishk following Maureen’s recipe here. I used ground beef 80% instead of the ground lamb. I don’t like the Australian or New Zealand lamb that is sold in my area. The beef worked very well in my situation. I also used 3+ cups of low-fat milk 1% instead of water. I thought about using goat milk but T.J. was out of the goat milk. The soup was rich and very tasty.
I served the kishk with a mound of white Basmati rice centered in the middle of a bowl. All I can say that this was a delicious meal of its own.
Thank you Maureen / Shukran Maureen !!!
Shukran to you!!!
I would love to have a recipe for shankleesh. I haven’t had it since my sit to passed. Do you have a recipe for this cheese that you can post?
Hi Charlotte–I’ve posted about labneh preserved in oil, but not specifically shankleesh, which is typically made with goat’s milk and is much drier than the labneh in oil. That said, you could use that method and take it further until the cheese is dry like shankleesh, and spiced that way as well. Great idea for a post, thank you…I will put it on the list!
I saw a jar of kishk and asked asked about it. The nice man from Syria said he could not explain it. Thanks to you I’m going back to get a jar. I haven’t made it yet, but it makes me think of polenta.
Your narative and writting is very interesting. Thank u for sharing.
Thanks very much Michael! I hope you enjoy the kishk–let me know if you make it!
I’m enjoying your sie tremendously! I am Syrian and Lebanese, second generation American-born, and I cook and bake most of our foods.
Kishk is my favorite, but getting really good powder is difficult these days. I can’t seem to find one that has that perfect sour flavor I remember from my youth. I have come across Jameed, which is a concentrated liquid soup starter, and it’s the closest I’ve found to that taste I remember.
I don’t remember if Sittu used garlic or onions (I use a few cloves), but she would wilt chopped cabbage in clarified butter or ghee. Then she would dissolve the kishk powder in water. We made very small kibbee balls with a dot of butter inside, drop them into the soup, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Perfection!
The cabbage in the kishk sounds wonderful; I have seen it done here and there and will have to try it. Thank you Mary,cousin!, for taking time to comment!
My mother made lots of Kishk but mine was a huge flop! I’ll try it again using your recipe but without meat and with only onions like my mother made it. My father was from Zahle but both parents came from Damascus, Syria.
Well I sure hope this recipe works great for you and reminds you of your mother’s delicious kishk! Thanks Ann!
Hi
U have such a amazing site for peoples who love food !! U have great words to explain anything dear :)!
I love it simply to say !!! I am breast cancer survivor
God Bless u !!
I love that I have discovered your website!!! I was trying to remember how to make kishk, as a girlfriend brought some for me from Lebanon. I am in Miami. My grandmother, who is from Zahle, used to make it for me when I was a little girl. Needless to say, I greatly enjoyed my kishk today along with the wonderful memories. I look forward to reading all of your recipes! Xoxo
Michelle, I also have a grandmother from Zahle! Thank you for being here, and please keep in touch!
I live in Florida, and always look forward to the first cold morning of the season, so I can enjoy a hot bowl of kishk. That morning was today. 🙂
I learned to make kishk from my grandmother. We always use chopped lamb, and we use onions instead of garlic. I usually use a blade chop, and trim it and chop it myself. Because I like the flavor of the lamb, after trimming the meat I brown the bones and “melt” the fat. Once browned and the fat is rendered I sauté the onion in the rendered fat, then add the chopped lamb.
Lately I’ve been adding a pinch of salt and a dash of lemon juice to enhance the flavors I remember as a kid.
Fantastic Dino, thank you! Sounds so delicious.
My grandmother make kishik soup with ground lamb, i chopped onion and a small head of shredded cabbage. She would brown ground lamb in a little bit of ghee. Then add the cabbage until wilted. She would drain off most of the fat. Then add 3/4 of a cup of kishik powder that had been dissolved in 4 cups of water. The she would bring it to a boil and let simmer gently for 15 minutes. Was one of my favorites. Thanks to this website I just found a source for kishik powder again.
Hi Maureen,
I am glad I discovered your blog. I am an Israeli, who lives in Los Angeles and I adore the Lebanese cuisine! A while ago I got Salma Hage’s cookbook and I’m hooked. Your food looks delicious! And I love your writing style. I’ll definitely come back for more.
Thanks so much Shelly–I love Salma’s book too (and I wrote the intro for it!). I look forward to seeing you here!
I too grew up with kishk. Mom made it rather thick and always had cubed beef as I remember. I am making the syrian bread ( I should say I’m practicing) and enjoying it.
You might also try mixing some of the powder in with scrambled eggs. Sort of like cheese with eggs, but of course a luban flavor rather than American Cheese flavor. I think it is easily substituted in any dish that would call for a strong cheese. As I said in a previous post, Grandma considered it a staple of her Lebanese cooking.
Maureen,
Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband, Michael, loves kishk. His father, Paul, made it for the family during lent. I purchased the powder in a Lebanese grocery store in Dearborn but did not know to make it. Thanks to you I will make it now!
I was brought up on kishk, although I do not use garlic. I saute some onion, mix the powder in, then add water slowly stirring so there is no lumps. I’ve had it with and without meat. I love it!!
is the ground meat optional or the choice of beef?
Meat is optional, and if you use meat it can be lamb or beef!
I don’t know if I could handle that much garlic. Think I’ll stick with browned onion.
But that’s how we ate it with folded flat bread.
I have heard lots of stories from my mother-in-law about her coming home from school and smelling the bread all the way home because her mom and sittu had been baking bread in the basement all day… I loved reading this story! I have serious doubts of finding kishk in Arkansas, but am going to try to make it with Sithu next time we visit!
“walked us up the stairs from her traditional, Sitti-style basement baking area”
One of my fondest memories of my paternal grandmother is her working in the basement baking bread.
Long tables full of formed rising dough loafs covered with cloth. A favorite gas stove/oven combo where the top oven was for baking the bottom for browning under a broiler.
I believe that stove resurfaced after about 50 years and my brother bought it from a cousin. Yellowish enamel finish, 4 burners of course but the oven side for baking is the main feature. The use of large wooden bread handlers helped load and retrieve the bread, don’t know how they made those….in those days plywood was not available so it appeared to be made out of a single sheet of wood. I still have one I saved, although it split and is now in two pieces it is still precious!
Just forwarded two of your cookie “links” to a lady in the parish that made the mistake of asking me what my favorite cookie was! 🙂
My paternal grandmother also had a baking kitchen in the basement……is this peculiar to the generation or to the Lebanese?
Maureen I have never had this, but reading this I want to try it. Hope I can find the kishk powder in Atlanta. Wonderfully written and the pictures are wonderful as always.
Mediterranean Bakery in Chamblee/Tucker, or Leon’s Foods on Pleasantdale Road usually carry the powder. Don’t get the kind in a glass jar, as it doesn’t taste very good (I grew up eating the homemade variety). Opt for the kind in a plastic bag if at all available.
Thank u for a beautiful post.
Can we have the receipe for the flat bread pls
Ur site is beautiful and heart warming
Thank you Mayada…flat bread is in the works. Meanwhile, check out man’oushe!
Thank you for this informative post on kishk, Maureen. I used to love this soup when my mother made it, always putting kibbe in it , which added another dimension of flavour to it. I’m not sure I could find any kishk powder here in the Gaspe Peninsula but on my next trip to Montreal will definitely get some!