Mission Manoushe

What was I thinking going on a brownie mission? The brownie mission is not something I should be putting my heart and soul into. My heart and soul deserve something truly Lebanese. Something authentic from the streets of this country. Something even more health defying than a cream-covered chocolate brownie. Something doused in oil and laden with dough. Something called a manoushe. Mmmmm, that's more Lebanesy!

In my quest to find the yummiest manoushe in my neighbourhood, I asked the lady in the tailor shop in my street what she recommends. She's never tried it before, but has heard that Pate Boulanger down the road makes good mne'eesh (plural form).

Here's a pic of the guy making my breakfast today:

Verdict

Look: Over-browned dough and average amount of oil residue on paper

Smell: Not tempting

Zaatar: Good amount of sumac to give the bitter taste, but thyme was ground too fine and kept falling off

Dough: Too thick, dried out before I finished the meal, and rather tasteless

Plus: Baker asked whether I'd like extra zaatar

Minus: Made in open oven, but I prefer it on the saj

Price: LL1 250

Rating: 5/10

What is a manoushe?

It can best be described as a Lebanese pizza. The dough is usually rolled out very thinly by hand and then spread with zaatar, a mixture of dry thyme, sumac and roasted sesame seeds - all mixed together in a lot of olive oil. There's also a cheese version, but for the purposes of my authentic mission, I shall stick to zaatar mne'eesh.