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Tag: zaatar pizza

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Blog Lebanese Food Traditional Ingredients

Zaatar in Cooking

zaatar spices

If you have recently fallen in love with zaatar and want to put it on everything, rest assured that you are not alone. People have been loyal fans of this ancient spice for thousands of years. One of the best things about za’atar is that you can do almost anything with it; here is a brief look at some of your many options;

zaatar manoosh lebanese food inner west
CC image courtesy of rhea_Kennedy on Flickr http://bit.ly/1L7ZCZP

Using Zaatar in Cooking can take almost anything to the next level. If you haven’t already, try anything from the list below and you’ll find it hard to disagree.

Zaatar on meat

The earthy flavours of zaatar (often known as za’atar or zatar) are the perfect complement to almost any kind of meat and you can either use it as a seasoning or incorporate it into a marinade. Zaatar goes particularly well with chicken, lamb, beef and salmon.

Zaatar and bread

Whether you use store-bought pita or slices of French bread, add a drizzle of olive oil and a healthy sprinkling of zaatar, then broil it – the result will be a simple yet delicious snack. If you are feeling a little more adventurous make yourself a traditional manoosh – the only difference is making your own flat bread, adding a few extra toppings and baking it in the oven. Manoosh have some of the best za’atar bread in Sydney!

Zaatar best Manoosh pizza sydney

Zaatar in soup

Adding a pinch or two of zaatar to any vegetable based soup will highlight all of those gorgeous natural flavours. While almost any type of soup will do, those made with pumpkin, squash or sweet potato will thrive most with a little zaatar.

Zaatar in dips

Want to take your favourite dip to a whole new level? Sprinkle some zaatar on top! Not only will zaatar enhance the flavour of everything from hummus to French Onion dip, it provides a wonderfully healthy touch. Add zaatar to plain yoghurt or sour cream and you will have a dipping sensation perfect for summer entertaining.

zaatar dip manoosh pizza enmore
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Zaatar on veggies

Zaatar goes well with baked, grilled or barbequed vegetables of almost any kind, so much so that even your kids will be lining up for seconds. Whether corn, carrots or potatoes are your favourite, you’ll be amazed at the difference a little zaatar can make.

Zaatar in salads

Tired of eating boring salads? Simply add zaatar. While it is best suited to Lebanese style salads such as tabouli, zaatar will boost Greek salads, pasta salads and liven up even the most uninspiring garden salad.

zaatar manoosh lebanese sydney enmore
CC image courtesy of Liliana Fuchs on Fickr http://bit.ly/1HJSJa6

Zaatar in falafel

If you are a Middle Eastern chef at heart and like to make your own falafel mix, throw some zaatar in there as well! Those falafel balls be healthier, taste better and even your Lebanese friends will be begging for the recipe.

Zaatar and cheese

Zaatar and almost any type of cheese is a match made in heaven. Add a sprinkle of zaatar to grilled halloumi, roll balls of goat cheese in zaatar, or combine olives and zaatar with some homemade labneh (a type of yoghurt based cheese) for a truly gourmet treat.

There is a reason why zaatar has been used in cooking for thousands of years – it can do almost anything! If you need some inspiration stop by Manoosh and try one of our many zaatar based delicacies – or why not let us bring it straight to you?

Categories
Blog Lebanese Food Traditional Ingredients

What is Lahembajin?

Lahembajin

Ask any lover of Middle Eastern food about their favourite dish and many will rave on and on about lahembajin. One of the oldest, simplest and most delicious dishes in Lebanese cuisine, lahembajin literally translates to mean ‘meat on dough’.

lahembajin manoosh pizza sydney

What is Lahembajin? Like most Lebanese cuisine, ingredients and techniques vary widely from family to family and culture to culture. As always, fresh, quality ingredients are best and like most Middle Eastern food, the simpler it is the better.

 

A Lebanese classic

While meat on dough may not sound terribly impressive, there is a lot more to it than that. Lahembajin basically consists of a thin, round, flat bread topped with a mixture of ground meat, vegetables and herbs that is then baked in a wood fired oven. The meat is commonly lamb or beef, the vegetables are usually onion, capsicum and tomato, and herbs can include parsley, mint and cilantro.

An ancient delicacy

Like many elements of Lebanese cuisine lahembajin originated in the Levant region (modern day Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Israel). Not surprisingly, once word got out about this delicious meal it was soon incorporated into many different cultural cuisines of the surrounding area, in particular Turkish and Armenian. It is for this reason that you will now see many different words used for lahembajin, such as lahmacune, lahmajun or even lahmajoon.

Old Lebanese house
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How to make lahembajin

There is no one ‘official’ way to make lahembajin, with ingredients and techniques varying widely from family to family and culture to culture. As always, fresh, quality ingredients are best and like most Middle Eastern food, the simpler it is the better. Let’s take a look at the basics.

Lebanese ingredients
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The Base
The dough used in lahembajin is somewhat similar to pizza in that it contains yeast and needs to be rolled out extremely flat. Any decent lahembajin must have a thin and crispy base.

The Toppings
The secret to a great lahembajin lies in chopping up all those ingredients nice and small. Not only will finely minced meat cook better, but the smaller those vegetables are the easier it will be for them to combine well with the other ingredients. One of the best things about lahembajin is that you can get as creative as you like with your toppings!

The Spices
Traditionally lahembajin is on the sweet and spicy side of the taste spectrum though there are certainly many variations. Everything from paprika and cayenne pepper to cinnamon and cumin has been used to great effect.

The cooking
Once the dough is made, the meat and vegetables are usually sautéed briefly before being added as toppings. To cook lahembajin properly you need very high heat, which is traditionally achieved via a wood fired oven.

The Garnish
The finishing touches on a lahembajin are simple yet vital as they help to balance the flavours and bring out that lahembajin magic! A drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and some fresh parsley, mint or cilantro will usually do the trick.

The Eating
You can eat your lahembajin however you like, though folding or rolling it are both popular techniques.

If you like meat you will love lahembajin! For an authentic lahembajin experience drop by OOSHMAN, or order online, we’d be more than happy to prepare a fresh lahembajin for you! Manoosh are plating up some of the best Lebanese food in the inner west!

Categories
Blog Lebanese Food Traditional Ingredients

Za’atar – A History

Zaatar

Few words will evoke more pride, nostalgia and emotion in a Lebanese person than za’atar. It is the aroma of our childhood, a staple of traditional Lebanese food and even a symbol of our culture itself.

Za’atar is a spice blend common in Middle Eastern culture, with many families boasting their own secret recipes. It is traditionally used on manoosh

What is za’atar?

The word za’atar has several meanings which will vary depending on who you ask – the confusion comes from it having become part of many different cultures with a variety of languages. Thankfully, most will agree on the basics; za’atar refers to a type of plant as well as to a blend of spices.

The plant is native to the Levant region (which includes modern day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel) and it has grown there for thousands of years. While za’atar has been described as everything from wild thyme to hyssop – most believe it to be the shrub-like plant known as Origanum syriacum.

As for za’atar the spice blend, there are once again many opinions regarding what constitutes the ‘real thing’. Many Lebanese families have their own secret recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation and each region of the Middle East has their own style of za’atar, usually determined by the available local ingredients. Most commonly a za’atar blend will include dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, sumac, toasted sesame seeds and salt.

How do you eat za’atar?

At home, it is common to mix za’atar with olive oil to form a spread which is then applied to Lebanese bread. Lebanese bakeries generally miz the za’atar with corn or sunflower oil, spread onto raw dough and the baked rapidly to create a soft bread.

Traditionally, Za’atar is eaten with labne (a strained yoghurt cheese), fresh vegetables and several other types of cheese. It is more and more common to combine za’atar with meats, and also to sprinkle over salads as a seasoning.

The history of za’atar

Za’atar has been part of Middle Eastern culture for thousands of years and has been used for everything from food and medicine to perfume. To understand the significance of za’atar you need to understand its history; let’s take a look.

Loved by Pharaohs
Some of the oldest evidence of za’atar is from the time of the Pharaohs. While it isn’t known exactly how ancient Egyptians used za’atar, according to the ancient botanist Dioscorides, za’atar is referred to extensively throughout ancient Egyptian records. Remnants of Thymbra spicata (an element often used in modern za’atar blends) was even found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun!

A holy remedy
Many Bible scholars believe that references to the plant ‘ezov’ in the Old Testament were actually referring to za’atar. Among its many mentions, this powerful plant was said to have been commonly used in ritual cleansing ceremonies and is even referred to as a possible cure for leprosy.

Adored by Kings
The delightful aroma of za’atar wasn’t lost on Parthian Kings who loved it so much they had it made into a perfume. According to Pliny the Elder, an ancient author, naturalist and philosopher, za’atar was a key ingredient in creating a “Royal Perfume” that was widely used in the 1st century AD.

A physician’s friend
Doctors have long known of za’atar’s healing properties too. One of the forefathers of modern medicine, Hippocrates, used za’atar to treat everything from common colds to bronchitis as early as the 5th century BC. Many years later, renowned 12th century physician, Maimonides, had similar success with his use of za’atar based treatments.

A brain booster
People across the Middle East have long believed that za’atar provides a boost to your brain power, so much so that for generations children have been fed za’atar prior to taking exams. Modern science is starting to support these claims, with growing evidence suggesting that za’atar may boost neurotransmitter production, and as a result, improve mood, co-ordination and motor skills.

To this day, za’atar remains one of the most beloved elements of Middle Eastern culture and cuisine, nowhere more so than in Lebanon. For an authentic Lebanese za’atar experience, drop by Manoosh and try one of our many delicious offerings. We believe we have the best za’atar bread in Sydney!