Manakish (), or in singular form man'ousheh (), or other spellings, is a popular Lebanese food consisting of dough topped with

za'atar Za'atar ( ; , ) is a versatile herb blend and family of wild herbs native to the Levant, central to Middle Eastern cuisine and culture. The term refers both to aromatic plants of the '' Origanum'' and '' Thymbra'' genera (including '' Origanum ...

, cheese, or

ground meat Ground meat, called mince or minced meat outside North America, is meat finely chopped by a meat grinder or a chopping knife. A common type of ground meat is ground beef, but many other types of meats are prepared in a similar fashion, incl ...

. It can be sliced or folded, and it can be served either for breakfast or lunch. 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. Manakish are popular across the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

, 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 UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergove ...

as an emblematic culinary practice in

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

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.

History

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

Classic toppings

Za'atar Za'atar ( ; , ) is a versatile herb blend and family of wild herbs native to the Levant, central to Middle Eastern cuisine and culture. The term refers both to aromatic plants of the '' Origanum'' and '' Thymbra'' genera (including '' Origanum ...

(). The most popular form of manakish uses za'atar (ground dried

thyme Thyme () is a culinary herb consisting of the dried aerial parts of some members of the genus ''Thymus (plant), Thymus'' of flowering plants in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are native to Eurasia and north Africa. Thymes have culinary, medici ...

oregano Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate climate, temperate Northern Hemisphere. Oregano is a ...

marjoram Marjoram (, ''Origanum majorana'') is a cold-sensitive perennial plant, perennial herb or undershrub with sweet pine and citrus flavours. In some Middle Eastern countries, marjoram is synonymous with oregano, and there the names sweet marjoram ...

or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted

sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

seeds, salt, and other spices such as

sumac Sumac or sumach ( , )—not to be confused with poison sumac—is any of the roughly 35 species of flowering plants in the genus ''Rhus'' (and related genera) of the cashew and mango tree family, Anacardiaceae. However, it is '' Rhus coriaria ...

) as a topping. The za'atar is mixed with olive oil and spread onto the dough before being baked in the oven. Za'atar manakish is a breakfast favorite in

Levantine cuisine Levantine cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Levant, in the sense of the rough area of former Ottoman Syria. The cuisine has similarities with Egyptian cuisine, North African cuisine and Ottoman cuisine. It is particularly known for its ...

. It is also served as part of a

mezze ''Meze'' (also spelled ''mezze'' or ''mezé'') (, ) is a selection of small dishes served as appetizers in Eastern Mediterranean cuisines. It is similar to Spanish cuisine, Spanish tapas and Italian cuisine, Italian Antipasto, antipasti. A ''me ...

, or as a snack with a glass of mint tea and feta cheese on the side. *

Cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

(). There are two main types of cheese used on manakish:

akkawi Akkawi cheese (, also Akawi, Akawieh and Ackawi) is a white brine cheese named after the Palestinian city of Akka (Acre, present-day Israel). Etymology Akkawi cheese is named after the port city of Akka (). Akkawi in Arabic means "from Akka". ...

() and

kashkaval ''Kashkaval'' is a type of cheese made from the milk of cows, sheep, goats, or a mixture thereof. In Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia, the term is often used to refer to all yellow cheeses (or even any chee ...

(). Za'atar is occasionally added to cheese manakish to enhance its flavor. * Minced lamb ( also known as

lahmacun Lahmacun ( ), lahmajun, or lahmajo () is a Middle Eastern flatbread topped with minced meat (most commonly beef or lamb), minced vegetables, and herbs including onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers, and parsley, flavored with spices such as chi ...

) also called ''

sfiha Sfiha or sfeeha () is a dish consisting of flatbread cooked with a minced meat topping, often lamb flavored with parsley, onion, tomato, pine nuts, and spices. It is traditionally found in the countries of the Levant, and is closely related to m ...

''. Manakish topped with lamb are served for lunch due to their heavier contents. The

minced Mincing is a food preparation technique in which ingredients are finely divided into uniform pieces. Originally carried out with a knife or , mincing became widely done with machines developed in the nineteenth century. History To mince in the ...

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. * Chili ( or ). *

Kashk Kashk, kishk, ( ''Kašk'', ), () qurut, kurut, qqet, jameed, shilanch ( Tuvan and , , , , , Tajik: қурут, , Turkish: ''kurut''), chortan ( ''chort’an''), aaruul or khuruud ( Mongolian: ''ааруул'' or ''хурууд'') is a range o ...

(). 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. *

Spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to Central Asia, Central and Western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common vegetable consumed eit ...

(),

Swiss chard Chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, or Swiss chard, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf bl ...

(). *

Eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

, sometimes the bread has a ridge to prevent spilling, sometimes combined with cheese, this is sometimes called ''Iqras beid'' or ''kras beid'' ().

References

{{Cuisine of Lebanon Arab cuisine Levantine cuisine Lebanese cuisine Syrian cuisine

Etymology

History

Classic toppings

See also

References