Sara Hohn – Food… Brooklyn & Beyond

Some call them manakish, others call them mini-pizzas. Either way, you can find them in Middle Eastern bakeries and grocery stores throughout Brooklyn. In this simple dish, flatbread is topped with the spice zaatar, which is usually a blend of thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. (Zaatar is also the Arabic word for wild thyme). The bread is then drizzled with olive oil and baked. It’s sometimes folded in half to be eaten on the go. Zaatar is one of the most essential condiments in Middle Eastern cooking. It’s believed by the Lebanese to give strength and clear the mind. On exam days, school children are said to eat a slice of bread with a mixture of zaatar and olive oil. With its tangy, nutty taste, it’s also great on yogurt or eggs or to season meats and vegetables any old time. Manakish is sometimes topped with a combination of tomato and ground meat.

Manakish is best when the bread is fresh and the zaatar and oil is piled on. I haven’t found a place in Brooklyn that makes their own flatbread for manakish, but if you come across any, do tell. Usually costing about $1.50 or less, the restaurant, grocery and meat market Al Salaam in Bay Ridge makes a particularly good and fresh manakish.

Al Salaam Meat Market and Restaurant
7206 Fifth Avenue

Originally published on Until Monday: Brooklyn.