{{Short description|Levantine yogurt and lamb stew}} {{For|the village in Iran|Shakeriyeh}}
{{Infobox food | name = Shakriyeh | image = File:MyPlate gov Cultural Food (20241025-USDA-FNS-UNK-0046).jpg | caption = Shakriyeh with vermicelli rice | name_lang = ar | alternative_name = Laban emmo | type = Stew | course = Main | place_of_origin = Levant | associated_cuisine = Levantine cuisine | main_ingredient = Lamb, yogurt }}
'''Shakriyeh''' ({{langx|ar|شاكرية}}, also known as "laban emmo") is a traditional Levantine stew of lamb cooked in yogurt, often served with Arabic rice.<ref name="MEE2019"> {{cite news |title=How to make a creamy lamb stew from Syria |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/how-make-creamy-lamb-stew-syria-shakriyeh |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Middle East Eye |date=24 May 2019 |language=en}} </ref><ref name="assil2022"> {{cite book |last1=Assil |first1=Reem |author1-link=Reem Assil |title=Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in Diaspora [A Cookbook] |date=19 April 2022 |publisher=Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed |isbn=978-1-9848-5908-2 |pages=188-189 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/Arabiyya/jpUzEAAAQBAJ?gbpv=1&pg=PA188 |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=en}} </ref>
== Etymology == {{Wiktionary|شاكر}}
The origin of the name ''shakriyeh'' is disputed, the word ''shakriyeh'' itself is derived from the Arabic word for "to thank" (''ushkur'', {{lang|ar|أشكر}}).<ref name="assil2022" /><ref name="annahar2024">{{cite news |title=الشاكرية باللحم على الطريقة السورية... وسبب اسمها الطريف |url=https://www.annahar.com/lifestyle/cooking/216712/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%85-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%82%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%81 |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=An-Nahar |date=2024 |language=ar |trans-title=Shakriyeh with meat, Syrian style... and the reason behind its amusing name}}</ref> The name shakriyeh is believed to have been derived from the first name "shakir" ({{lang|ar|شاكر}}), with the person it was named after remaining unknown.<ref name="annahar2024" /><ref name="asadi" /> Other sources disregard this theory and attribute an Aramaic origin to the word.<ref name="raseef2022">{{cite news |title=وصفة الشاكرية الأقدم والأشهى... وأصل طبيخ اللحم باللبن في بلاد الشام |url=https://raseef22.net/article/1090921 |access-date=23 February 2026 |work=Raseef22 |date=8 December 2022 |language=ar |trans-title=The oldest and most delicious recipe for Shakriya... and the origin of meat stew with yogurt in the Levant.}}</ref> Common spellings include ''shakriyyeh'' and ''shakriya''.<ref name="backstreets2021" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Syrian Piccata Stew (Shakriya) |url=https://www.papercitymag.com/recipe/syrian-piccata-stew-shakriya/ |access-date=23 February 2026 |work=PaperCity Magazine}}</ref>
The name {{tlit|ar|laban emmo}} ({{langx|ar|لبن امه}}, also spelled ''laban ummo'') is common in some regions, such as Lebanon,<ref name="gazakitchen" /><ref name="asadi" /><ref name="annahar2024"/> the name translates to "his mother's milk", implying that the lamb meat is to be cooked in the lambs own mothers milk,<ref name="roden2008" /><ref name="ghazi" /> according to Syrian historian Khayr al-Din al-Asadi, it is a reference to the 10 commandments in Jewish doctrine.<ref name="asadi"> {{cite book |author1=Khayr al-Din al-Asadi |author1-link=Khayr al-Din al-Asadi |title=موسوعة حلب المقارنة |date=1981 |page=16 |volume=5 |url=https://archive.org/details/20191220_20191220_1403/page/n2121/mode/2up |access-date=25 December 2025 |language=Arabic |trans-title=Comparative Encyclopedia of Aleppo}} </ref> The name may ''laban emmo'' may refer to shakriyeh or a specific variety of it.<ref name="ghazi">{{cite book |title=حضارة الطعام في بلاد الرافدين والشام |date=2001 |publisher=دار الفكر المعاصر ؛ |isbn=978-1-57547-890-6 |page=141,296 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/%D8%AD%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AF_%D8%A7/nNjXAAAAMAAJ?hl=nl&gbpv=1&bsq=%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9&dq=%D8%AD%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%20%D9%81%D9%8A%20%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AF%20%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%20%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85 |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=ar |trans-title=Food culture in Mesopotamia and the Levant |author=Nadia al-Ghazzi |author-link=Nadia al-Ghazzi}}</ref>
==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.<ref name="raseef2017" /><ref name="MEE2019" /><ref name="skynews2023">{{cite news |title="السكبة" وغيرها.. طقوس رمضانية تقاوم الأزمات في سوريا |url=https://www.skynewsarabia.com/varieties/1607980 |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Sky News Arabia |date=2023 |language=ar |trans-title="Al-Sakba" and other Ramadan traditions resist crises in Syria}}</ref><ref name="assil2022" /><ref name="gomhuria">{{cite news |title=طريقة عمل الشاكرية باللحم على الطريقة السورية |url=https://www.gomhuriaonline.com/Gomhuria/1326024.html |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Al-Gomhuria |date=3 September 2023 |language=Arabic |trans-title=How to make Shakriyeh with meat, Syrian style}}</ref> Some varieties use chicken in place of lamb.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Meyer |first1=Kimberly |title=Accidental Sisters: Refugee Women Struggling Together for a New American Dream |date=26 March 2024 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-38468-2 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/Accidental_Sisters/7UXtEAAAQBAJ?gbpv=1&pg=PA125 |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="backstreets2021">{{cite news |last1=Mortada |first1=Dalia |title=Recipe: Shakriyyeh, Chicken and Yogurt Stew |url=https://culinarybackstreets.com/stories/istanbul/recipe-shakriyyeh |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Culinary Backstreets |date=7 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Despite the similarity to mansaf, it does not use jameed.<ref>{{cite news |title=«الشاكرية» طبق غنيّ بالبروتين والكالسيوم |url=https://www.aletihad.ae/article/120184/2013/ |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Al-Ittihad (Emirati newspaper) |date=28 December 2013 |language=ar-AR |trans-title="Shakriya" is a dish rich in protein and calcium.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=الشاكرية |url=https://alghad.com/Section-208/uncategorized/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-81080 |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Al-Ghad |date=2015 |language=ar |trans-title=Shakriyeh}}</ref>
''Arman'' ({{lang|ar|أرمان}}) is a Syrian dish similar to shakriyeh made by cooking the meat in a pan before adding it to the stew.<ref name="asadi" /><ref>{{cite news |title=طبخة الأرمان.. من أبسط الأطباق الشعبية وألذها في سورية |url=https://hibrpress.com/v2/%D8%B7%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D8%B3%D8%B7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B7%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88/ |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Hibr Press |date=26 April 2021 |language=ar |trans-title=Arman dish... one of the simplest and most delicious traditional dishes in Syria}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shakriyeh {{!}} Traditional Stew From |url=https://www.tasteatlas.com/shakriyeh |website=Taste Atlas |access-date=22 February 2026}}</ref>
== 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'' ({{lang|ar|مضيرة}}).<ref name="roden2008">{{cite book |last1=Roden |first1=Claudia |author1-link=Claudia Roden |title=The New Book of Middle Eastern Food |date=24 December 2008 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-55856-5 |page=243 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/The_New_Book_of_Middle_Eastern_Food/r723owliVz8C?gbpv=1&pg=PA502 |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Nasrallah |first1=Nawal |title=Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq's Tenth-Century Baghdadi Cookbook |date=31 December 2007 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-474-2305-8 |page=588 |url=https://books.google.de/books?id=sQCwCQAAQBAJ |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref>
Shakriyeh is attested as early as the 19th century; Lebanese scholar Butrus al-Bustani defined ''shakriyeh'' in his 1867 dictionary titled {{tlit|ar|Kitāb Muḥīṭ al-muḥīṭ}} as "a dish of meat cooked in yogurt".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bustānī |first1=Buṭrus al- |author1-link=Butrus al-Bustani |title=Kitāb Muḥīṭ al-muḥīṭ: ay qāmūs muṭawwal li-al-lu��a al-ʻArabiyya |date=1867 |page=1110 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/Kit%C4%81b_Mu%E1%B8%A5%C4%AB%E1%B9%AD_al_mu%E1%B8%A5%C4%AB%E1%B9%AD/TBNHAQAAMAAJ?hl=nl&gbpv=1&pg=PA1110&printsec=frontcover&dq=%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9 |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=ar}}</ref>
== Culture ==
Shakriyeh is typically cooked to celebrate special occasions.<ref name="assil2022" /><ref name="jazmati2017" /> Muslims traditionally cook shakriyeh on Eid al-Fitr as well as Eid al-Adha,<ref name="jazmati2017" /><ref>{{cite book |title=The Cuisine of LIFE: Recipes and Stories of the New Food Entrepreneurs of Turkey |date=31 December 2019 |publisher=Center for International Private Enterprise |isbn=978-0-578-61307-9 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/The_Cuisine_of_LIFE/ePz2ywEACAAJ |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=en}}</ref> and on the first day of Ramadan,<ref name="arab48">{{cite news |title=دليلك الشامل عن أهم الوصفات السورية لإفطار رمضان 2025 |url=https://www.arab48.com/%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%86/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%BA%D8%B0%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%86/2025/02/03/%D8%AF%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84%D9%83-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%84-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A3%D9%87%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%81%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%86-2025 |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Arab 48 |date=2025 |language=ar |trans-title=Your comprehensive guide to the most important Syrian recipes for Ramadan breakfast 2025}}</ref><ref name="skynews2023" /><ref name="raseef2017" /> and Christians prepare it on Christmas.<ref name="jazmati2017"> {{cite book |last1=Jazmati |first1=Malakeh |title=Malakeh: Sehnsuchtsrezepte aus meiner syrischen Heimat |date=6 July 2017 |publisher=ZS - ein Verlag der Edel Verlagsgruppe |isbn=978-3-89883-736-1 |page=273 |url=https://www.google.de/books/edition/Malakeh/ZSalEAAAQBAJ?gbpv=1&pg=PT273 |access-date=22 February 2026 |language=de}} </ref> Shakriyeh and similar Levantine yogurt stews are most common during spring.<ref name="gazakitchen"> {{cite book |last1=El-Haddad |first1=Laila M. |last2=Schmitt |first2=Maggie |author1-link=Laila el-Haddad |title=The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey |date=2016 |publisher=Just World Books |isbn=978-1-68257-008-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nMy3jwEACAAJ |access-date=21 February 2026 |language=en}} </ref> The availability of the ingredients, mainly meat and dairy, was impacted negatively by the Syrian civil war.<ref name="skynews2023" />
Shakriyeh features in several traditional Syrian proverbs and poems.<ref name="asadi" /><ref name="raseef2017">{{cite news |title=عن الحراق إصبعه والباشا وعساكره وكشك الفقراء... من أين يأتي السوريون بأسماء أطباقهم؟ |url=https://raseef22.net/article/104585 |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=Raseef22 |date=25 June 2017 |language=ar |trans-title=From Harraq Isba'o, Pasha and his soldiers, and Poorman's Kishk... Where do Syrians get the names of their dishes from?}}</ref> It is associated with other Levantine festive yogurt dishes, like shishbarak, kibbeh labaniyyeh, sheikh al-mahshi, among others.<ref>{{cite news |title=في الأيام الأولى من رمضان.. لماذا يسيطر اللون الأبيض على المائدة السورية؟ |url=https://24.ae/article/811198/ |access-date=22 February 2026 |work=24.ae |date=2024 |language=ar |trans-title=In the first days of Ramadan... why does the color white dominate the Syrian table?}}</ref><ref name="arab48" /><ref name="raseef2017" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/how-make-creamy-lamb-stew-syria-shakriyeh How to make a creamy lamb stew from Syria], on Middle East Eye * [https://myplate-prod.azureedge.us/resources/graphics/photography/lamb-and-yogurt-stew-shakriyeh Shakriyeh], on MyPlate
{{Levantine cuisine}}
Category:Levantine cuisine Category:Lamb and mutton dishes Category:Stews Category:Yogurt-based dishes Category:Arabic words and phrases