I currently live in Cyprus and adore Koupas, both the meat version and mushroom. Try it you will love it.

RACHEALT, HELLO I AM TOTALLY FASCINATED WITH CYPRUS AND HAVE BEEN THERE AN AWFUL LOT BUT NEVER HEARD OF KOUPAS. HAVE YOU GOT A RECIPE FOR IT PLEASE

no i havent, i know the spelling as coupes (which s the plural), not Koupas as on this website. They are available in most bakeries and frozen in supermarkets. They look like golden torpedoes. I have checked lots of recipe books and have never found one. Give me a little while and i will ask a few of my Cypriot friends, the only problem is they have never been able to translate the outer shell ingredient but now i have it

Chimes, i still havent forgotten you please just give me a little more time.

Koupas come originally from Lebanon I think but are also popular in Israel where they are called Kibbe...It's meat stuffed in meat!!

You can find these little torpedoes frozen in the supermarket or in many Middle Eastern restaurants. It is also often served as a "lasagne" with the stuffing placed in the middle layer.

It is good and easy to make!! Try it out:

For the Koupas:
1 lb. ground lamb
2 cups of big grain bulghur wheat
1 tbl. salt or to taste
1 tbl crushed garlic
2 medium size brown onions
2 tbl. cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
Olive oil

For the Koupas stuffing:
¼ lb. ground lamb
1 mid size onion chopped
½ cup pine nuts
2 tbl. sumac
Cumin to taste
Salt to taste
Olive oil


Really, the stuffing can be made of almost anything...when I want a lighter one I make one with eggplant and red pepper.....I've never made a mushroom one..Yum!

veggie kibbeh (kubah) is great (especially when flavoured with cinnamon)
The recipe I know has a shell that is made with fine wheat rather than the big grained kind
(but can also be made with rice and I know someone who's making it with quinoa-so any grain goes?)
Funny-as I always thought it was Iraqi-how did it get to Cyprus?
Or did the Cypriots invent it on the first place?
Suppose it's the same thing with Baklava-We have 3 shops in the street selling that,run by 3 people from 3 different places and all claim baklava is an authentic sweet in their countries.
What is it then-Turkish? Greek? Lebanese?

IRNBREWholic, Turkey, Iraq, Labanon are all modern constructs. The food predates all these artificial divisions. The food of eastern mediterranean is my favourite and is really dictated by the climate and limited resources of the area. Kibbe/Koupas has so many great forms and variation. The small grains are essential if you are making the coating out of vegetarian materials only. It won't bind otherwise.

It's my favourite too
(not too spicy,not too greasy and a large selection of low fat salads)
What is your favourite version Dougy?
I love the fried ones and then the ones boiled in soup
never heard of the "lasagne" like version-have you a (veg) recipe?

IRNBREWholic, when I can find them I occassionally make one with ground dried pomegranate seeds that is very intriguing. It's not as savoury as I like my food but it crisps up beautifully and is entirely vegetarian. It makes a great canape and everyone adores them as finger food. The lasagne one above is obviously a main dish and those propeortions feed 4 with leftovers.

My favourite is the simple one you find in Israel and Egypt, with the light small grain coating and lamb filling shaped somwhat like a rugby ball. Yum!

I've never tried quinoa...I shall give that one a go. It's the crunchy crispy crust that really makes the difference.