Tbeet
traditional dishesBaghdad
About
Tbeet (also spelled t'bit, t’beet, or tabeet) is the classic overnight Shabbat dish of Iraqi Jews: a slow-cooked pot of whole spiced chicken, rice, tomatoes, and warm aromatics. Derived from the Arabic root b-y-t (tabayit or bayata), meaning "to spend the night," the dish is gently simmered for 12 to 16 hours until the meat falls off the bone and a prized crispy crust (hakaka) develops at the base.
Key Ingredients
Whole chicken or bone-in chicken pieces, long-grain basmati rice, Iraqi baharat (cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cumin, coriander, allspice), ground cardamom, whole dried black lime (loomi basra), tomato paste, ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, turmeric, unpeeled whole eggs (optional).
Cultural Significance
Originating in the ancient Jewish community of Mesopotamia, tbeet solved the religious prohibition of kindling flame on the Sabbath (halakha). Baghdadi families assembled their pots on Friday afternoon and left them in neighborhood communal bakery ovens (al-farran) overnight, returning on Saturday after morning prayers to retrieve a warm, fragrant Sabbath lunch. It remains a cherished culinary emblem of Baghdadi Jewish identity in diaspora communities worldwide.
Where to Find
Historically baked in communal neighborhood ovens across Baghdad; today primarily prepared in home kitchens of the Iraqi Jewish diaspora, as well as select heritage and diaspora restaurants featuring Iraqi-Jewish cuisine.
Recommended Places
- •Baghdad
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