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Introducing the most tasty Arabic pizza recipe. With its perfect blend of spices, deliciously irresistible lamb topping, and authentic Middle Eastern flavours, this Arabic pizza is sure to impress and leave you wanting more.
The history of pizza can be traced back to antiquity when various ancient cultures, such as the Romans, produced flatbreads with different toppings. One precursor to pizza was the Roman dish called panis focacius, a kind of flatbread to which toppings were added.
The modern-day pizza however arrived somewhat much later towards the 17th and 18th centuries. Naples, Italy, played a significant role in the development of the modern pizza we know today. In the 18th century, Neapolitan bakers started selling pizza as a cheap and tasty meal for the poor. Initially, pizza had simple toppings like tomatoes, oil, garlic, and herbs. However, it wasn’t until the late 19th century, that a pizza with cheese and tomato sauce called "pizza Margherita" was created. It was named after Queen Margherita of Italy and became popular, leading to the establishment of pizzerias in Naples.
Meat with dough
Arabic pizza took a slightly different route from its Neapolitan cousins. The Arabic dish "lahm bi-ajin," which translates to "meat with dough" has almost certainly shared the same Roman origins as the Italian pizza, but with the different ingredients and tastes typical in Middle Eastern cuisine, this version of this modern-day pizza shares much of the qualities of an Italian pizza yet also differs somewhat. Man’oushe, manakeesh and sfiha are all delicious flatbread recipes with meat from the Middle East but the most famous version must be Lahmacun or “Turkish Pizza” (a name also derived from the Arabic “bread with meat”).
Lahmacun is believed to have originated in the 17th century (before the Neapolitans made their mark on pizza) in the region historically known as the Levant, which includes modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Turkey. Over time, it became widely popular in the Eastern Mediterranean and gained recognition as a staple street food, just like its Neapolitan cousin.
Today, lahmacun is enjoyed in various countries, including Turkey, Armenia, Lebanon, and other parts of the Middle East and Mediterranean region. It is typically served with a squeeze of lemon juice and rolled up with fresh herbs, lettuce, and other toppings before being consumed as a handheld snack or a light meal.
So what makes an Arabic pizza?
There are different versions of an Arabic pizza, a traditional lahmacun for example consists of a thin, round unleavened dough topped with a flavoursome mixture of minced meat (commonly beef or lamb), finely chopped vegetables, including onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers. and a blend of herbs and spices such as sumac, allspice, za’atar and pomegranate. Manakeesh, uses leavened bread and tops it with za’atar and akawi cheese, a cured and brined curd cheese not too dis-similar to feta.
These Arabic pizza varieties either use leavened or unleavened bread, some have meat, some don’t, some use cheese and others don’t, but the unifying thread throughout them all are these wonderful herbs and spices native to the Middle East.
Homemade flatbreads instead of dough
Our Arabic pizza recipe combines certain aspects of these tasty levantine pizzas whilst retaining much of what we associate with a traditional Italian pizza. For our recipe, we’re using unleavened bread rather than a dough made with yeast as not only does this drastically cut down the time needed to prepare our pizza without compromising on flavour, but it also represents a much more authentic Middle Eastern flavour and texture. The bread remains wonderfully supple and airy yet strong enough to carry our toppings by making a simple dough using flour and yoghurt (rather than water) and a touch of bicarbonate of soda.
The three ingredients are simply mixed and then kneaded to make a supple dough which is then hand-stretched to form the flatbread bases and then cooked on a hot dry pan.
For this Arabic pizza, we still want to use cheese. Akawi could be difficult to find so it may be easier to use feta cheese for a similar ewes milk flavour and texture.
The most important aspect to focus on is to highlight the incredible architypal middle eastern flavours which are prevalent in so many Levantine dishes to give this pizza authenticity. When it comes to these ingredients, there are many to choose from.
Middle Eastern flavours
Much of the spices of the Middle East are aromatic such as cardamom and cloves for example and floral like rose and orange blossom. Nuts and dried fruits are prevalent too such as sesame seeds, pine nuts, pistachios, dates, apricots, pomegranates and sour berries like barberries and sour cherrie to name a few. So, the varieties of Arabic pizza you could create are numerous to say the least.
The flavour profiles we are focusing on come from the aromatic warmth of cloves, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon, the tangy sourness of sumac, and the rich sweet and tart flavour of pomegranate molasses.
For the meat, lamb is a great option and traditional on many Arabic varieties of pizza. For ease of preparation, we are using a lamb mince but if you want to embellish the recipe then you can always use slow-cooked lamb meat.
How to make Arabic pizza
The mix of cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon are classic Arabic spices that add earthy woody notes and a spiced perfumed fragrance. This ensemble is fried with lamb mince with a little garlic and pomegranate molasses to create an authentic Arabic-flavoured topping for the pizza.
Pomegranate molasses is a thick, dark syrup made from the juice of pomegranates, a fruit that has been cultivated in the Middle East and the Mediterranean for thousands of years. It has a sweet yet tart flavour with notes of fruitiness and brightness that is both tangy and sour.
We also utilise the sweetness from roasted red peppers (a jar of which is easily found as a chef's ingredient in most good supermarkets) and a diced stick of celery for a fresh crunch.
This mix can be made in advance and will stay fresh in the fridge for 2-3 days. When you are ready to make your pizzas, spread some crushed tomato sauce on the bases that are already cooked and top with the lamb mix. Liberally break apart the feta cheese over the top of the pizza before baking it in a hot oven to heat it.
When the pizza comes out of the oven, this is the time to add the sumac.
Sumac and za’atar
Sumac is a spice that comes from the dried, ground berries of the Rhus Coriaria shrub, native to the Middle East and North Africa. It has been used for centuries in cooking and medicine and is known for its vibrant red colour and tangy, sour flavour.
One of the defining characteristics of sumac is its acidity profile, which is similar to that of lemon juice; here, just as lemon juice on a lahmacun, it adds a bright and tart element to our Arabic pizza. You will also find sumac as an essential part of the Middle Eastern spice blend za’atar which you can certainly use to accent the pizza if sumac by itself is not available.
The term "za'atar" is often used to refer to both the spice blend and the herb from which it gets its name. The herb za'atar, also known as wild thyme or Origanum syriacum, grows in the Middle East and North Africa. It has small, delicate leaves with a distinct aroma.
The za'atar spice blend is a combination of dried za'atar leaves, sesame seeds and sumac. The result is a fragrant and tangy mixture with earthy, nutty, and citrusy notes.
Beyond its culinary uses, za'atar has cultural and historical significance in the Middle East. It is considered a symbol of hospitality, so perfect to finish our Arabic pizza.
A tangy tomato and red onion salad completes our Arabic pizza
Finally, to add freshness we dice some red onion, cherry tomatoes and coriander/cilantro together with a hit of salt, red wine vinegar, olive oil and a little bit more molasses. We add a secret ingredient too which just elevates the complexity of the flavours. Many lamb dishes are often enhanced with the addition of some salty fish such as anchovies, our secret ingredient acts in a similar way. A touch of nam pla or Thai fish sauce adds a wonderful hint of savoury, salty umami that enriches and compliments the sweetness and sourness of the rest of the ingredients. Try it yourself, you may just find yourself not ordering so many pizza takeaways in the near future.
More Middle Eastern recipes with lamb
Moroccan Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb (In Delicious Baharat Marinade)
The Best Moroccan Lamb Mince Lasagne with Feta Cheese
Latest recipes
Arabic pizza recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
For the flat bread pizza bases
- 375 ml or 1 ½ cups of flour
- 250 ml or 1 cup of Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
Toppings
- 500 g of lean lamb mince
- 1 roasted red pepper from a jar diced
- 1 stick of celery diced
- 1-2 cloves of garlic finely diced
- ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom or seeds from 5 cardamom pods, pods discarded
- ½ teaspoon of nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon of ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses
- 200 g of feta cheese or Arabic akawi cheese
- 2 teaspoon of sumac or Za’atar or more to taste
Tomato sauce
- 150 g of crushed tomato or passata
- 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of harissa paste optional
Tomato and onion salad
- 1 red onion diced
- 16 cherry tomatoes diced
- 12 g of fresh coriander/cilantro leaves chopped
- ⅓ teaspoon of nam pla fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
- A drizzle of olive oil
- ⅓ teaspoon of sugar ideally palm sugar
Instructions
- To make the flat breads add the flour, yoghurt and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl and season with a little salt. Mix the ingredients together until a soft dough is formed. Transfer the dough to a floured flat surface and knead for a few minutes to activate the gluten.
- Divide the dough equally and hand stretch each portion into round pizza bases of about 1-2mm thick and roughly 25cm in diameter.
- Put a large dry frying pan on a high heat and pan roast each bread for 1-2 minutes each side until cooked with some dark brown charred parts. Set aside until you are ready to make your pizzas.
- For the spiced lamb topping, add the lamb mince to a hot frying pan with a touch of olive oil. Fry for 3-4 minutes until browned all over. Pour in the cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon and ground cloves and stir through the lamb. Add the chopped garlic, celery, red pepper and pomegranate molasses and fry for a further 1-2 minutes. The celery needs to stay fairly al-dente. Set aside.
- Mix the tomato passata or crushed tomato with the tomato puree and sugar and spread over each flatbread base equally.
- Spoon equal amounts of the lamb mix over each flatbread and crumble the cheese over the top.
- For the onion salad, simply combine the tomatoes, onion, coriander/cilantro with the oil, vinegar, nam pla, sugar and pomegranate molasses and rest to infuse the flavours.
- The pizzas will cook in the oven at 200℃/392°F for 6-7 minutes. Serve whilst hot with the salad as a garnish.
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