Misplaced Pages

Kubaneh

Traditional Yemenite Sabbath-bread
Alternative names	kubani, kubneh, kubane
Type	Bread
Place of origin	Israel
Created by	Yemenite Jews
Main ingredients	Flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, butter or margarine, vegetable oil
Media: Kubaneh

Kubaneh (Hebrew: כֻּבַּאנֶה) is a traditional Yemenite Jewish yeast bread that is popular in Israel. It is traditionally baked overnight to be served for Shabbat breakfast. The bread is often served alongside haminados (eggs that are baked in their shells along with the bread), and resek agvaniyot (grated tomato).

History

Although a Jewish community existed in Yemen for thousands of years, only a very small community of Jews remains in Yemen today. Yemenite Jews traditionally made their kubaneh from either sorghum flour or cornmeal during the regular weekdays, but used wheat flour on Sabbath days and holidays.

Some would add to the dough either sugar, honey or black cumin. Baking was done in a greased pot, tightly sealed, and left to cook overnight. The kubāneh was eaten the following day while it was still hot, and many of the diners have been known to ask for the qaʻeh – the hard and oily lower crust, known for its delicate taste. During the winter months, some were known to insert in the kubāneh the fatty-tail of sheep, or some other piece of meat, which was baked overnight along with the dough. This was considered a delicacy and was served to women after childbirth.

Overview

Kubaneh is a Yemenite Jewish bread baked overnight and eaten for breakfast or brunch on Shabbat. It is baked at a low temperature in a tightly covered container. Ingredients include flour, sugar, salt, and butter (or margarine). Eggs in their shell are sometimes added to the container and served as an accompaniment. Kubaneh is traditionally served with grated tomatoes, or served with zhug, clarified butter, and hot pepper-garlic chutney.

In popular culture

Kubaneh was featured in the popular Israeli television series Beauty and the Baker, as the lead character Amos Dahari, played by Aviv Alush (who himself is of Yemenite and Tunisian Jewish descent) is from a Yemenite Jewish family.

See also

• Jachnun
• Malawach
• Israeli cuisine
• Jewish cuisine
• Mouna- a similar bread prepared by Algerian Jews
• Russian Mennonite zwieback
• Monkey bread

References

1. Ungar, Carol (2015). Jewish Soul Food: Traditional Fare and What It Means. Waltham, Massachusetts: Brandeis University Press. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-61168-501-5.
2. Rachel Yedid & Danny Bar-Maoz (ed.), Ascending the Palm Tree – An Anthology of the Yemenite Jewish Heritage, E'ele BeTamar: Rehovot 2018, p. 134 ISBN 978-965-7121-33-7
3. Avshalom Mizrachi, The Yemenite Cuisine, first published in Bat-Teman (Heb. "Daughter of Yemen"), edited by Shalom Seri, Tel-Aviv 1993, pp. 97–98 (Hebrew)
4. Yosef Qafih, Jewish Life in Sana, Ben-Zvi Institute: Jerusalem 1982, p. 210
5. Marks, Gil (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Wiley. ISBN 9780470391303. Archived from the original on June 26, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
6. ^ "Shabbat Breakfast Bread (Kubaneh)". Food.com. December 21, 2004. Archived from the original on January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
7. ^ Rao, Tejal (22 June 2017). "Before Croissants, There Was Kubaneh, a Jewish Yemeni Delight". New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 July 2017. Retrieved 3 July 2017.
8. ^ "Kubaneh – Yemeni Jewish breakfast bread". Bread Cakes and Ale (a blog). Wordpress. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.

• Shabbat
• Israeli breads
• Mizrahi Jewish cuisine
• Jewish breads
• Shabbat food
• Yemeni breads
• Yemeni-Jewish culture in Israel