Lahmacun

Lahmacun, another name of which is Lahmajun( also spelt as Lahmajoon), is a  traditional Middle Eastern dish which is popular in other parts of the world as the Turkish pizza or Armenian pizza as it resembles the pizza in its appearance. Basically a baked pancake with meat topping (often garnished with vegetables and herbs) the Lahmacun is a popular restaurant specialty in many Middle Eastern countries with the basic Lahmacun recipe being improvised upon in the various Armenian, Georgian, Azerbaijani , Jordanian and other cuisines. Lahmacun is one of the Middle Eastern dishes that has attained global recognition, Turkish restaurants of Australia, Canada, Germany, Belgium and England, apart from those of the United States being one of the most successful sellers of the dish.

 

 

Origin of Lahmajun

 


The origin of Lahmacun  recipe can be traced to the early Levantine cuisine of the Syrians where the dish essentially consisted of dough with a meat topping, the name of the dish being derived from the description of the food.

 

 

Ingredients

 


Lahmacun basically consists of a dough made of wheat flour with meat topping which is usually mincemeat made from lamb meat or beef. The dish is flavored mainly by the large variety of vegetables and herbs like tomato, peppers, onions, cilantro and parsley. Lemon juice is another ingredient suggested by the Lahmacun recipe for flavoring.

 

 

Popular Method of Preparation of the Turkish Pizza

 


Lahmacun is essentially a baked dish, the basic Lahmacun recipe suggesting a simple preparation of the dish over a brick oven, the preparation method being somewhat similar to the preparation of the pizza. The dough prepared by mixing wheat flour with water is yeasted to leaven it. It is then rolled out into circles of 5 mm in thickness and baked with the topping which is prepared by sautéing finely chopped meat and vegetables. When fully done, the Lahmacun, ideally has a crispy periphery and a soft interior with temptingly brown fringes. The pizza maybe wrapped around the topping and fresh ingredients like herbs or vegetables may be added to the basic baked ones.

 

 

Turkish Pizza Variations

 


Lahmacun is traditionally prepared according to two variations of the recipe as seen in the Turkish cuisines of Urfa and Antep. The Urfa variant includes onion whereas the Anterp version includes garlic. The Argentina variant of the Lahmacun  is shaped like a triangle and is known by the name of Empanada Arabe.

 

 

Serving Turkish Pizza

 


Lahmacun makes a filling meal and it can be served with suitable garnishes. Lemon juice is the conventional choice for garnishing. Some suggest serving with yoghurt.

 

 

Turkish Pizza Health Value

 


Lahmacun, in essence, is a filling dish which generally accounts to the intake of significant amounts of calories when consumed. The carbohydrate content is seen to be higher in proportion followed by that of proteins and fats. As the choice of usage of vegetables and other ingredients is wide, substitution of high-fat and high-calorie ingredients with their lower content versions respectively are suggested by the modern Lahmacun recipe.