Manakish is a popular flatbread dish in Lebanon and neighboring countries, often topped with zaatar, cheese, or meat. The dough is made with flour, yeast, salt, and oil, and cooked in an oven or on a saj grill. It is often served with tomatoes, cucumbers, and yogurt as a breakfast or lunch dish, or as a meza or snack.
Manakish is a flatbread dish covered with various toppings, commonly eaten in Lebanon, Syria and other neighboring countries. Other names for it are manaeesh, manakeesh and mangish. The most common variety is zaatar manakish, a flatbread covered with a mixture of olive oil, wild thyme, culinary sumac and sesame seeds before it is cooked. These types of bread are usually eaten for breakfast or lunch.
The bread is so popular in Lebanon that many communities have bakeries that specialize in the dish. It is served in a wide variety of settings, from roadside stands to upscale restaurants. Pieces of manakish can be cut up for serving or smaller sheets can be folded and eaten.
Other than zaatar, cheese and meat are common toppings for manakish. Akawi cheese, a semi-soft white brine cheese, or kashkwan, a yellow cheese, are often used. Lamb or chicken are also popular toppings and can be mixed with cheese. Kishk, a blend of dry yogurt and bulgur wheat, is another possible topping.
The dough used can be made from bread flour or all-purpose flour. Suitable flour for pizza is often recommended. Typical recipes call for flour, yeast and salt along with water and vegetable or olive oil. Depending on the recipe, the dough may rise once before shaping or it may be shaped after kneading and a short resting time. It’s a fluffy dough, made with just enough oil to give the finished product a pliable texture rather than a crunchy one.
Manaish is traditionally formed by flattening pieces of dough with your fingertips. This leaves distinctive indentations, which help hold the toppings. The name “manakish” is related to words meaning “decorated” or “carved” in Arabic, and are often said to refer to these indentations, which are still visible after firing.
Any oven can be used for cooking. Most recipes call for cooking at moderate temperatures for 10-15 minutes. In Lebanon it is sometimes cooked on a saj, a type of domed portable grill used for cooking. The dough is cooked on the heated surface of the grill. If needed, it can be prepared in a heavy skillet.
Tomatoes, cucumbers and yoghurt are often served alongside manakish. Olives and fresh mint are commonly part of the meal, which is typically accompanied by hot tea. While a very popular breakfast or lunch dish, manakish is also served as a meza or snack.
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