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Lahmacun

A food so ancient it pre-dates written recipes, if not the written word itself. While we don’t know the precise origins of “meat and dough” (the literal translation) we can be sure that this shawarma-like baked wrap has extremely ancient roots in the Levant and Southeastern Turkey.

While modern versions most often include additional new world ingredients like tomato and chile peppers, all other ingredients –  wheat, beef, lamb, onions, garlic, parsley, sumac, cumin and fenugreek – were first wild-harvested, then domesticated in and around the birthplace of agriculture: the Fertile Crescent. The first known written recipe for this dish is from a 13th century cookbook from Aleppo, Syria, Al-Wusla ila ‘l-Habeeb (“Scents and Flavors”) but with archeological records of flatbread dating back 14,400 years, and evidence of wild wheat harvesting dating back 22,000 years, when you prepare this delicacy, you can truly sense its vast and ancient origins. This recipe is a Turkish version; for a more Levantine twist, add a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and generously sprinkle with Za’tar spice.

  • Yield: 2 lahmacun 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Dough-

  • 5oz bread flour 
  • 1 oz whole wheat flour (einkorn, emmer or really any whole grain flour)
  • ⅔ c water
  • ⅔ tsp salt
  • ⅔ tsp yeast

Spiced Meat –

  • ½ medium onion
  • ½   poblano or other chile  pepper, seeded and  rough-chopped
  • Bottom half of 1 bunch green onion, rough chopped
  • 2–3  cloves of garlic
  • 6 oz ground beef 
  • ½  tsp fenugreek powder 
  • ¼  tsp  cumin 
  • ¼  tsp coriander 
  • 1 tbsp  sweet smoked paprika
  • 1  tbsp  Aleppo or other hot chili powder

Salad topping-

  • 1/2 Cup thinly sliced parsley 
  • ½  cup rough chopped green onions tops
  • ½ medium  onion, thinly sliced 
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • ½  tsp  salt 
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Dipping Sauce –

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, pressed or microplanned  
  • ½  tsp sumac (optional)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½  tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 4–5 tbs water, or enough to achieve desired consistency.

 

Instructions

  1. Prepare dough. 
  2. Preheat oven to 525°.
  3. Divide dough  into 6 oz portions, cover and allow to rest for 15 minutes. 
  4. While dough rests, prepare spiced  meat, salad topping  and dipping sauce.
  5. Add spiced meat ingredients to the food processor, and blend until you have a spreadable, finely minced paste. 
  1. Once dough has rested for 15 minutes, pat it out  into an oblong shape; cover and rest for 5 more minutes, then roll out with a pin to about 60% to 70% of desired size. Transfer onto a sheet pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Cover and rest another 5 minutes, then give it one final stretch by hand until it’s just starting to become see-through in spots.
  2. Scoop ⅔  cup meat paste onto each piece of dough. Spread with a spatula or your fingers. Spread until it’s even and almost touching the edges. You want the edges to crisp a little, but you’re not looking for a full crust like a pizza. 
  3. Bake at 525° for 10 minutes, then flip the sheet pans from the top to the bottom oven racks, so that they bake evenly.  Bake for another 5 minutes.  Every oven is different, so check every five minutes for browning on the bottom.
  4. Remove from baking sheets onto your cutting block and let  cool for 2-3  minutes.
  5. Arrange salad  lengthwise down the middle of the lahmacun (see photo)
  6. Roll up tightly and give a good squeeze so it doesn’t unroll and cut in half on the bias.
  7. Serve with sauce. For maximum enjoyment we recommend spooning it on before each bite or dipping the roll directly into the sauce.

  • Author: Ben Lester

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2

Find it online: https://localgrain.org/lahmacun/