Lebanese Zaatar Bread - Manakish, Manoushe Flatbread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Lebanese flatbread made of? ›

The bread itself needs just five ingredients--yeast, water, sugar, flour and extra virgin olive oil. As always, start out by blooming the yeast in the water, add the flour, and make sure that you knead it into a dough that's just slightly sticky but smooth.

Za'atar is healthy and full of antioxidants from the herbs, and it is very versatile. It has been popular in parts of the world for centuries, even dating back to biblical times. Probably the most classic and well-known use of za'atar is on za'atar bread (or manakish).

A simple way to describe Manoushe is a Lebanese pizza. It consists of a flatbread base with various toppings. The most common topping is Za'atar, a mixture of thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds. However, depending on personal preferences, it can also include cheese, ground meats, or assorted vegetables.

A Manoushe is the singular word for Manakish and it is exactly what is described in the recipe. It's a Lebanese pizza topped with various toppings, the most common of which is Za'atar and cheese.

Zaatar or Za'tar (zaah-tur) is a common noun in the Arabic language and refers to both a Middle-Eastern herb spice mixture and importantly a distinct herb plant in the mint family. The herbal plant is referred to in English as bible hyssop or Syrian oregano, but the mixture is just called zaatar.

Arabic bread, or pita bread, as it is more popularly known around the world, is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour.

A traditional part of the Mediterranean diet, this thin flatbread can support heart and brain health, healthy blood sugar levels, and digestion.

Naan bread is soft, fluffy, and chewy, whereas pita bread is denser with a slightly crispy texture on the outside. Naan bread also has a buttery flavor due to the ghee and buttermilk in the dough, which adds an extra dimension of flavor compared to pita bread's more neutral taste.

Za'atar mixture is commonly employed in the Mediterranean diet and is rich of bioactive compounds. Za'atar components modulate gut microbiota, oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and obesity. The combined action of Za'atar components might generate beneficial effects for human health.

There have been studies claiming that regular consumption of za'atar in your diet can improve your brainpower and cognition. The spice blend contains circulation-boosting power due to its rich mineral content that can enhance your brain and incite neural activity.

Why is zaatar so good? ›

A combination of herbs, sesame seeds, sumac, and salt, it is one of the world's unique and best seasonings. It's loaded with bold flavors, has great texture, and even boasts some health benefits--from soothing inflammation to boosting cognition!

In Arabic, za'tar means "thyme. That's good, there is thyme in the Lebanese zaatar that I propose to you! As its name suggests, this spice blend comes from Lebanon, although it is found more generally throughout the Middle East.

Well-known dishes include baba ghanouj, tabbouleh, sfeeha, falafel and shawarma. An important component of many Lebanese meals is hummus, a chickpea puree dish, and many dishes are eaten with flatbread. Well-known desserts include baklawa, sfouf and ka'ak.

The national dish of Lebanon is kibbeh, an emulsified paste of fresh lamb and bulgur wheat with spices. Meat tends to be made into nuggets and charcoaled or stuffed into vegetables. Vegetables are usually the main feature of the meal.

Markook shrak is a type of thin bread. The dough is unleavened and usually made with only flour, water, and salt, and after being rested and divided into round portions, flattened and spread across a round cushion until it is thin then flipped onto the saj. It is often folded and put in bags before being sold.

Za'atar is a spice blend composed of herbs such as thyme, oregano, marjoram or a combination of the three, along with other spices including sesame, sumac, cumin or coriander.

Levant

Mankosha / Place of origin