Manaqish

Manaqish (or manakish) is a Levantine dish made of flatbread topped with various ingredients. Consider it the Arabic equivalent of pizza. The name manaqish is derived from the Arabic verb naqasha, which means "to carve out" or "to sculpt." This refers to how indentations are made into the flattened dough to hold the toppings.

Traditionally, manaqish is made with one of three ingredients: minced lamb, cheese (usually akkawi or kashkaval), or za'atar. The version below uses za'atar, a spice blend made up of ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, toasted sesame seeds, sumac, salt, and other spices. It's the most common type of manaqish, and it's frequently eaten for breakfast, as a mezze, or as a snack with feta cheese or labneh (yogurt cheese).

Manaqish, also known as sfiha, is made with minced lamb (or sfeeha, lahmajun, lahmajin). Sfiha is a heavier dish that is typically eaten for lunch, as opposed to za'atar manaqish, which is more of a breakfast dish or snack.