Manakish

Manakish

Manakish made with za'atar with vegetables on the side
Alternative names	Manaqish, manaeesh, manakeesh, manooshe, man'ousheh, mankousheh
Type	Flatbread
Course	Breakfast or lunch
Place of origin	Levant
Main ingredients	Dough, za'atar, cheese or ground meat
Media: Manakish

Manakish (

Traditionally, women would bake dough in a communal oven in the morning, to provide their family with their daily bread needs, and would prepare smaller portions of dough with different toppings for breakfast at this time.[2]

Manakish are popular across the Levant,^[3][4] and can also be found in neighboring regions, and centers of Levantine emigration.

In 2023, manakish was inscribed to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists as an emblematic culinary practice in Lebanon.^[5]

Etymology

The word manaqish is the plural of the Arabic word manqūshah (from the root verb naqasha 'to sculpt, carve out' or engrave), meaning that after the dough has been rolled flat, it is pressed by the fingertips to create little dips for the topping to lie in.^[6]

History

Very little is known about its origins, an Arab cookbook from the 10th century mentions recipes for flatbreads, and thyme and olive oil.^[7]

Classic toppings

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• mezze, or as a snack with a glass of mint tea and feta cheese on the side.^[9]
• Arabic: جُبْنَة, romanized: jubna). There are two main types of cheese used on manakish: akkawi (Arabic: عَكَّاوي, romanized: ʿakkāwī) and kashkaval
  (Arabic: قَشْقَوَان, romanized: qašqawān). Za'atar is occasionally added to cheese manakish to enhance its flavor.
• Arabic: لحم بعجين, romanized: lāḥm bi-‘ajīn, lit. 'meat with dough' aka Lahmacun) also called sfiha. Manakish topped with lamb are served for lunch due to their heavier contents. The minced
  lamb is mixed with tiny pieces of diced tomato and vegetable oil, and the manakish is optionally served with ground pepper or pickles and yogurt.
• Arabic
  : فليفلة or فلفل حر).
• Arabic: كشك). This is a mixture of fermented drained or dried yogurt and finely ground wheat that can be used by itself or in combination with other toppings, such as walnuts or onions, spread onto the bread.^[11]
• Swiss chard
  (Arabic: سلق).

• Khachapuri
• Feteer meshaltet
• Musakhan
• Matnakash, a flat bread from Armenia. While the word may be related to manakish, matnakash is plain (no topping)

References