Hulbah, holbah, helbeh or hilbeh ( ar, حلبة) is a

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...

made from ground

fenugreek Fenugreek (; ''Trigonella foenum-graecum'') is an annual plant in the family Fabaceae, with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide as a semiarid crop. Its seeds and leaves are common ingredients ...

seeds, and a traditional Yemeni food, now popularized among other cultures as well, especially by

Yemenite Jews Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the ...

in Israel, who have introduced it to other ethnic groups. ''Hulbah'' greatly expands when added to water, and when whisked in a bowl it takes on a light, frothy texture. It is consumed almost every day domestically in Yemen, and can be eaten by itself or added to ''

saltah Saltah (Arabic: سلتة) is a traditional Yemeni dish. ''Saltah'' is considered to be the national dish of Yemen. In the Ottoman Empire, ''saltah'' was used as a charitable food and was made with leftover food that was donated by the wealthy or ...

'' and ''

fahsa Fahsa ( ar, فحسة, Fahsa) is a Yemeni stew. It is made of lamb cutlets with lamb broth. Spices and hilbah (a dip made with fenugreek) are added after cooking. See also * List of lamb dishes * List of stews This is a list of notable stews ...

''. A dollop of ''hulbah'' is often dished out of the larger batch and added to hot soup.

References

Yemeni cuisine {{arab-cuisine-stub