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Arabic Food Week – Zaatar Manakish

Posted on | October 3, 2009 | 6 Comments

Wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve added a post. Lot’s of excuses regarding travel and enormous projects, but, dear reader, trust that in my time off I’ve armed myself with a host of new influences, ingredients and recipes.

As my first post back from the long break, I’d like to introduce one of the simplest and most flavorful discoveries I encountered abroad: Zaatar Manakish.

This is a simple bread covered in a mixture of thyme, oregano, salt, savory, mint and sesame seeds – though the variations are endless.

I bought this dry mixture in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but you can make it at home in a snap. Once you have the dry mixture you like, add a glug of olive oil to make a paste. Set aside a few minutes and then spread over your Manakish.

Manakish is a super simple bread, almost like a pizza dough. I’ll add the recipe here tomorrow.
Once the dough is ready, form it into a rough circle, almost like a pizza, and then spread the zaatar mixture over the bread. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 5-7 minutes and voila, you have an amazing starter, side dish, breakfast pastry.

I typically enjoyed mine with fruit, yogurt and arabic coffee – the recipe for which will also appear on this site in the coming days.

But, as an appetizer, try serving the Zaatar Manikish straight from the oven along with a white cheese and fresh melon.

Enjoy.

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