Shakriyeh Explained

Shakriyeh
Name Lang:ar
Alternative Name:Laban emmo
Type:Stew
Course:Main
Place Of Origin:Levant
Associated Cuisine:Levantine cuisine
Main Ingredient:Lamb, yogurt

Shakriyeh (ar|شاكرية, also known as "laban emmo") is a traditional Levantine stew of lamb cooked in yogurt, often served with Arabic rice.[1] [2]

Etymology

The origin of the name shakriyeh is disputed, the word shakriyeh itself is derived from the Arabic word for "to thank" (ushkur, Arabic: أشكر).[3] The name shakriyeh is believed to have been derived from the first name "shakir" (Arabic: شاكر), with the person it was named after remaining unknown. Other sources disregard this theory and attribute an Aramaic origin to the word.[4] Common spellings include shakriyyeh and shakriya.[5]

The name (ar|لبن امه, also spelled laban ummo) is common in some regions, such as Lebanon,[3] the name translates to "his mother's milk", implying that the lamb meat is to be cooked in the lambs own mothers milk, according to Syrian historian Khayr al-Din al-Asadi, it is a reference to the 10 commandments in Jewish doctrine.[6] The name may laban emmo may refer to shakriyeh or a specific variety of it.[7]

Preparation and varieties

The dish is traditionally prepared by cooking lamb meat in laban rayeb with aromatics and spices, often topped with garlic, and served with vermicelli rice.[8] [9] Some varieties use chicken in place of lamb.[10] [11] Despite the similarity to mansaf, it does not use jameed.[12] [13]

Arman (Arabic: أرمان) is a Syrian dish similar to shakriyeh made by cooking the meat in a pan before adding it to the stew.[14] [15]

History

Recipes for meat cooked in yogurt can be found in medieval Arabic cookbooks, according to author Claudia Roden, 10th century poet Badi' al-Zaman al-Hamadani wrote a story about such a dish called madira (Arabic: مضيرة).[16] [17]

Shakriyeh is attested as early as the 19th century; Lebanese scholar Butrus al-Bustani defined shakriyeh in his 1867 dictionary titled as "a dish of meat cooked in yogurt".[18]

Culture

Shakriyeh is typically cooked to celebrate special occasions. Muslims traditionally cook shakriyeh on Eid al-Fitr as well as Eid al-Adha,[19] and on the first day of Ramadan,[20] and Christians prepare it on Christmas.[21] Shakriyeh and similar Levantine yogurt stews are most common during spring.[22] The availability of the ingredients, mainly meat and dairy, was impacted negatively by the Syrian civil war.

Shakriyeh features in several traditional Syrian proverbs and poems.[23] It is associated with other Levantine festive yogurt dishes, like shishbarak, kibbeh labaniyyeh, sheikh al-mahshi, among others.[24]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: How to make a creamy lamb stew from Syria . 22 February 2026 . Middle East Eye . 24 May 2019 . en.
  2. Book: Assil . Reem . Reem Assil . Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora [A Cookbook] ]. 19 April 2022 . Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed . 978-1-9848-5908-2 . 188-189 . 22 February 2026 . en.
  3. News: الشاكرية باللحم على الطريقة السورية... وسبب اسمها الطريف . 22 February 2026 . . 2024 . ar . Shakriyeh with meat, Syrian style... and the reason behind its amusing name.
  4. News: وصفة الشاكرية الأقدم والأشهى... وأصل طبيخ اللحم باللبن في بلاد الشام . 23 February 2026 . Raseef22 . 8 December 2022 . ar . The oldest and most delicious recipe for Shakriya... and the origin of meat stew with yogurt in the Levant..
  5. News: Syrian Piccata Stew (Shakriya) . 23 February 2026 . PaperCity Magazine.
  6. Book: Khayr al-Din al-Asadi . Khayr al-Din al-Asadi . موسوعة حلب المقارنة . 1981 . 16 . 5 . 25 December 2025 . Arabic . Comparative Encyclopedia of Aleppo.
  7. Book: حضارة الطعام في بلاد الرافدين والشام . 2001 . دار الفكر المعاصر ؛ . 978-1-57547-890-6 . 141,296 . 22 February 2026 . ar . Food culture in Mesopotamia and the Levant . Nadia al-Ghazzi . Nadia al-Ghazzi.
  8. News: "السكبة" وغيرها.. طقوس رمضانية تقاوم الأزمات في سوريا . 22 February 2026 . Sky News Arabia . 2023 . ar . "Al-Sakba" and other Ramadan traditions resist crises in Syria.
  9. News: طريقة عمل الشاكرية باللحم على الطريقة السورية . 22 February 2026 . . 3 September 2023 . Arabic . How to make Shakriyeh with meat, Syrian style.
  10. Book: Meyer . Kimberly . Accidental Sisters: Refugee Women Struggling Together for a New American Dream . 26 March 2024 . Univ of California Press . 978-0-520-38468-2 . 22 February 2026 . en.
  11. News: Mortada . Dalia . Recipe: Shakriyyeh, Chicken and Yogurt Stew . 22 February 2026 . Culinary Backstreets . 7 May 2021 . en.
  12. News: «الشاكرية» طبق غنيّ بالبروتين والكالسيوم . 22 February 2026 . . 28 December 2013 . ar-AR . "Shakriya" is a dish rich in protein and calcium..
  13. News: الشاكرية . 22 February 2026 . . 2015 . ar . Shakriyeh.
  14. News: طبخة الأرمان.. من أبسط الأطباق الشعبية وألذها في سورية . 22 February 2026 . Hibr Press . 26 April 2021 . ar . Arman dish... one of the simplest and most delicious traditional dishes in Syria.
  15. Web site: Shakriyeh Traditional Stew From . . 22 February 2026.
  16. Book: Roden . Claudia . Claudia Roden . The New Book of Middle Eastern Food . 24 December 2008 . Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group . 978-0-307-55856-5 . 243 . 22 February 2026 . en.
  17. Book: Nasrallah . Nawal . Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq's Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook . 31 December 2007 . BRILL . 978-90-474-2305-8 . 588 . 22 February 2026 . en.
  18. Book: Bustānī . Buṭrus al- . Butrus al-Bustani . Kitāb Muḥīṭ al-muḥīṭ: ay qāmūs muṭawwal li-al-luġa al-ʻArabiyya . 1867 . 1110 . 22 February 2026 . ar.
  19. Book: The Cuisine of LIFE: Recipes and Stories of the New Food Entrepreneurs of Turkey . 31 December 2019 . Center for International Private Enterprise . 978-0-578-61307-9 . 22 February 2026 . en.
  20. News: دليلك الشامل عن أهم الوصفات السورية لإفطار رمضان 2025 . 22 February 2026 . . 2025 . ar . Your comprehensive guide to the most important Syrian recipes for Ramadan breakfast 2025.
  21. Book: Jazmati . Malakeh . Malakeh: Sehnsuchtsrezepte aus meiner syrischen Heimat . 6 July 2017 . ZS - ein Verlag der Edel Verlagsgruppe . 978-3-89883-736-1 . 273 . 22 February 2026 . de.
  22. Book: El-Haddad . Laila M. . Schmitt . Maggie . Laila el-Haddad . The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey . 2016 . Just World Books . 978-1-68257-008-1 . 21 February 2026 . en.
  23. News: عن الحراق إصبعه والباشا وعساكره وكشك الفقراء... من أين يأتي السوريون بأسماء أطباقهم؟ . 22 February 2026 . . 25 June 2017 . ar . From Harraq Isba'o, Pasha and his soldiers, and Poorman's Kishk... Where do Syrians get the names of their dishes from?.
  24. News: في الأيام الأولى من رمضان.. لماذا يسيطر اللون الأبيض على المائدة السورية؟ . 22 February 2026 . 24.ae . 2024 . ar . In the first days of Ramadan... why does the color white dominate the Syrian table?.

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