"Rice with Almonds and Kibbeh Are Part of My Childhood": Shakira on Her Lebanese Roots on Her Father's Side - and the Recipes for Both Dishes

Shakira built her own park for 55,000 people, but when she talks about food, she goes back to where she started. "Rice with almonds and kibbeh are part of my childhood and my family identity," says the singer, whose father, William Mebarak Chadid, is of Lebanese descent. She takes those two dishes with her all over the world - even to Madrid.

She has been there since mid-September with the "Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran" tour, billed as the highest-grossing tour by a Latin American artist in history. She's performing at Macondo Park, a venue for 55,000 people named after Gabriel García Márquez's fictional town, and the last Madrid shows are scheduled for 12 October. Alongside a museum and karaoke, the park has a market with more than 30 food concepts - from empanadas and arepas to tacos - including Lebanese food as a tribute to her roots. There are also three ice creams inspired by her, made by Carolina Ferreira of Casa del Gelato in Tarifa: La Loba, Gabo and Dai Dai. The one drawing the most attention is a lavender ice lolly with blueberries and wafer, coated in white and gold chocolate.

Lebanese and Balkan cooking understand each other without an interpreter: minced meat, onion, cinnamon, and yoghurt with cucumber on the side. Here are Shakira's two dishes, the way they're actually made.

Lebanese rice with almonds and vermicelli

You'll need about 300 g of long-grain or basmati rice, 75 g of thin vermicelli, 60 g of almonds, 30 g of butter, a tablespoon of olive oil, 600 ml of hot chicken or vegetable stock, half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a handful of raisins, a pinch of allspice or black pepper, salt and parsley. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then drain. Dry-toast the almonds and set them aside. Fry the broken vermicelli in the butter and oil until golden, then add the rice and stir-fry briefly. Next comes the hot stock, the cinnamon, pepper and salt. Once it boils, cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 15-18 minutes - without lifting the lid and without stirring. That's the whole secret. Then let it rest, covered, for another 5-10 minutes, fluff it with a fork and mix in the almonds, raisins and parsley.

Lebanese baked kibbeh

For the dough: 250 g of minced beef, 150 g of fine bulgur, one onion, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice or baharat if you like, salt, fresh mint and two tablespoons of olive oil. For the filling: 150 g of minced meat, a small onion, 30 g of toasted pine nuts, olive oil, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Soak the bulgur in cold water for 15-20 minutes, then drain it well. For the filling, soften the onion in oil, add the meat and season, and finally stir in the pine nuts. Grind the onion, bulgur, meat and spices for the dough into a smooth mixture - with a little cold water if needed. Press half the dough into a greased 20 by 20 cm dish, spread the filling over it and cover with the rest of the dough. Score the top into diamonds, drizzle with oil and bake at 200 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until golden. Let it rest before cutting.

Kibbeh is served with fresh mint and plain yoghurt, or with a sauce of yoghurt, cucumber and lemon. If it sounds familiar to a Balkan reader, you're not imagining it - the difference from our own baking-tray dishes is smaller than you'd think. Shakira can fill stadiums, but what brings her home is the same thing that brings us home: the taste of the family kitchen.