I could swear the verb شلبط shalbaT meant "to mix up; to scramble" in Levantine, which could make شلباطو a derivative of it -- compare the general-Arab dish مخلوطة makhluuTa lit. "mixed up", from خلط "to mix".
However, I can't find that meaning anywhere online. The only thing close (after searching for شلبط، تشلبط، متشلبط, all of them possible derivatives) was these two second-page Google results for مشلبط:
...so, given the dearth of confirmations, that doesn't seem plausible. Its common meaning instead seems to be "to be stuck on [a person/lover]", but I was also able to find (1) a page defining it as "to mutter" and (2) a Tweet defining تشلبط as "to climb"... I can't really see a link to food in any of those.
Can anyone suss something out, or would شلبط just be a red herring?
However, I can't find that meaning anywhere online. The only thing close (after searching for شلبط، تشلبط، متشلبط, all of them possible derivatives) was these two second-page Google results for مشلبط:
(I don't 100% get the first one, but the second is "Okay, but don't victimize him, because this try's going to be rough -- his face is going to get all [mshalbaT] as you can see")
...so, given the dearth of confirmations, that doesn't seem plausible. Its common meaning instead seems to be "to be stuck on [a person/lover]", but I was also able to find (1) a page defining it as "to mutter" and (2) a Tweet defining تشلبط as "to climb"... I can't really see a link to food in any of those.
Can anyone suss something out, or would شلبط just be a red herring?
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That sounds like a folk etymology to me. 
Why do you think so? you probably don't know of the existence of the other delicious dish طقت ماتت, right?That sounds like a folk etymology to me.
In Dozy's Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes, شلبط is "bégayer, balbutier" to stutter, to stammer
In Tunisian (regional), شلبط is to climb and شلباطة is vine
In Tunisian (regional), شلبط is to climb and شلباطة is vine