Manakish, singular manousheh, is a popular Levantine pastry consisting of dough topped with za'atar, cheese, or ground meat, which can be sliced or folded and served for breakfast or lunch. Traditionally women baked dough in a communal oven each morning to meet their family's daily bread needs, preparing smaller portions with different toppings for breakfast, using saj and taboon as common traditional cooking instruments; manakish are popular across the Levant and in centers of Levantine emigration, and in 2023 were inscribed to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists as an emblematic culinary practice in Lebanon.
Facts
Origin Period, From (Year) Origin Region Classification
Dietary Suitability FAQs
Who traditionally makes manakish, and what goes on the dough?
UNESCO describes it as made by women at home and by families in small bakeries, topped with thyme, sumac, sesame, salt and olive oil.
UNESCO, which inscribed the Lebanese practice Al-Man’ouché on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023, describes it as a flatbread prepared in homes and specialized bakeries. It says the dough is indented with the fingertips and topped with a mixture of thyme, sumac, toasted sesame seeds, salt and olive oil. According to UNESCO, women prepare it for domestic consumption, while in small bakeries it is made by men, women or all members of the same family.
Connections
Expresses Tradition
Source Wikipedia: Manakish
In Cuisine
Source Manakish (Wikipedia)
Uses Ingredient
Source Wikipedia: Manakish
Source Wikipedia: Manakish
In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Wikipedia: Manakish
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Manakish
Introduction
Manakish (Levantine Arabic: مناقيش, romanized: manāʾīš), singular man'ousheh (منقوشة, manʾūše) is a popular Levantine pastry, consisting of dough topped with za'atar (مناقيش بالزعتر, manāʾīš biz-zaʿtar), cheese (مناقيش باجبنة, manāʾīš bil-jibne), or ground meat.
- Uses Ingredient: Cheese, Infobox main_ingredient field: Dough, za'atar, cheese or ground meat
- Uses Ingredient: Za'atar, Infobox main_ingredient field: Dough, za'atar, cheese or ground meat
Expresses Tradition: Mezze, Article body
It is also served as part of a mezze, or as a snack with a glass of mint tea and feta cheese on the side.
View the Source2. Manakish (Wikipedia)
- Wikipedia 'Manakish' 2026-09-27, citing baking-history.com: 'manakish can be traced back to ancient Phoenicia between 2500 BC and 539 BC' (circa midpoint of the stated range).
- In Cuisine: Lebanese Cuisine, Wikipedia category list
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