The terms you read on our menu and hear from our team, in Arabic and English, with a short explanation of each.
Smoked meat in Arabic is لحم مدخّن (lahm mudakhkhan). It is the first term many people ask about, and after it come the names of cuts, the levels of doneness and the tools of the fire. Most of these words are English in origin and entered menus here as they are. We have gathered the terms you will find on Marble's menu or hear from our team, in Arabic and English, with a short explanation of each.
Smoked meat in Arabic: smokehouse terms
Smoked meat (لحم مدخّن): meat cooked slowly in wood smoke, at low heat, for long hours. The smoke gives it flavour; the time gives it tenderness.
Brisket (بريسكت): the beef chest. A muscle that worked all its life, full of connective tissue, which only time can soften. At Marble we smoke it for ten hours over wood and serve 250g with lime and salt flakes.
Bark (لحاء): the dark layer that forms on the surface of smoked meat from the smoke, the rub and the heat. Firmer than the inside, and stronger in flavour.
Connective tissue (نسيج ضام): the fibres that bind the muscle and make it tough. With low heat and long hours it turns into soft gelatin, which is the secret of smoked brisket.
Beef ribs (أضلاع): on our menu, Ribs is one full bone of ribs smoked for eight hours over wood, served with lime and salt flakes. One of the best-known kinds in English is the short rib, a short rib bone rich in meat and fat.
Asado (أسادو): Spanish for a grill or roast, used across South America. On our menu, Ribs Asado are slow-cooked beef ribs with fresh taco bread and asado sauce.
Low and slow (حرارة منخفضة ووقت طويل): the basic rule of smoking. Low heat keeps the meat from drying out; long hours melt the connective tissue.
Cold cuts (لحوم باردة): cooked or smoked meats sliced and served cold. Since 2018 we have made our cold cuts and smoked meats in Marble's own kitchen.
Fire and wood
Off-set smoker (مدخّنة أوفست): a smoker with a firebox set to the side of the cooking chamber. The meat never touches the fire; only the smoke and heat pass over it. It is the smoker we use at Marble.
Samar wood (حطب السمر): wood from the samar tree, the fuel of our smoker and our fire. The brisket is smoked over it, and the ribeye is seared over it for the flavour of smoke.
Open flame (النار المفتوحة): cooking directly over wood or charcoal. At Marble we cook over samar wood and charcoal, never gas.
Sear (القشرة): the brown colour on the surface of a steak from high, direct heat, which gives it the taste of the grill.
Resting (الراحة): leaving a steak for a few minutes off the fire before cutting it, so the juice settles inside.
Steak cuts
Marbling (ترخيم): the fine threads of fat inside the muscle, which melt over the fire and give the meat flavour and tenderness. It is where Marble takes its name.
Ribeye (ريب آي): a cut from the rib section, rich in marbling and strong in flavour. At Marble: 350g over samar wood, with caramelised lemon and salt flakes.
Prime rib (برايم ريب): the name for ribeye when a large piece of the rib section is cooked. At Marble: 400g of ribeye over wood, with mashed potato, mushroom sauce and fried kale.
Striploin (ستريبلوين): a cut from the lower back, leaner than ribeye and a little firmer, also called New York strip. At Marble: 200g in the Miso Steak and the Ponzu Steak.
Tenderloin (تندرلوين): the most tender and leanest muscle on the animal, beneath the spine. At Marble it goes into the Tenderloin Foam and the Korean Taco.
Filet mignon (فيلي مينيون): thick round steaks cut from the tenderloin. At Marble: a 200g angus tenderloin grilled over wood.
Prime cut (برايم كت): a cut of high quality. The Marble Burger is 180g of a blend of two prime cuts.
Other words from the menu
Brioche (بريوش): a soft French bread made with butter and egg. Marble's burgers are served on it.
Au jus (أوجو): French for “with its juice”, the stock that comes out of the meat as it cooks. On our menu: the Beef Au Jus Burger.
Miso (ميسو): a Japanese paste of fermented soybeans, salty and deep in flavour. The Miso Steak comes with a miso cream sauce.
Ponzu (بونزو): a tart Japanese sauce of citrus and soy sauce. The Ponzu Steak is topped with it and green onion.
Beef bacon (لحم مقدد): beef that is salted and cured, cut into cubes or slices. On our menu: the Bacon Skewer, and frozen beef bacon is sold in the Marble Market.
At the table: doneness
Rare (رير): a red centre, the cut warm inside.
Medium rare (ميديم رير): a pink centre leaning to red.
Medium (ميديم): a light pink centre.
Medium well (ميديم ويل): a faint trace of pink in the centre.
Well done (ويل دن): brown all the way through.
The full explanation is in our piece on steak doneness (/en/blog/steak-doneness), and the difference between cuts is in our guide to steak cuts (/en/blog/steak-cuts-guide).
How to order at Marble, in either language
Our menu is written in Arabic and English, so order in whichever suits you. Say the name of the cut as it appears on the menu, then how you like it done, and the team will cook it the way you ask. If you come across a term you do not know, ask.
Smoked meats are on the smokehouse page (/en/smokehouse), steak is on the steak page (/en/steak), and the full menu with prices is on the menu page (/en/menu). For the story of the name, read “Why we named it Marble” (/en/blog/the-name-marble), and for the brisket, “Ten hours over wood” (/en/blog/ten-hours-over-wood).
