Often mistaken for plain cracked wheat, bulgur (or bulgur wheat) consists of wheat berries that have been steamed, dried and then cracked. This staple of Middle Eastern cuisine is nutty and chewy.

When I lived in the Middle East, I learned that tender tabbouleh salad and crunchy fried kibbeh, the celebrated Levantine croquette, share a key ingredient: bulgur. Since ancient times, bulgur has ...