h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Wilma, years ago I worked with a Lebanese womann who used to bring the most delicious bread to work for our break room. She was always going to bring us the recipe, but she never did. I would love to have it, but unfortunately have no idea what the bread was called. It was a flat bread, similar in shape and texture to foccacia. It had poppy seeds on the top and I think onions sauteed in olive oil. It was nearly 30 years ago, so I'm not sure about the onions. Anyway, she would cut it into pie shaped wedges. It was wonderful. Much better than having sweet pastries with our coffee or tea.

I think you are desribing *manakeesh* - like a pizza base with a herb mix called *zaatar* on it - you can serve it hot with mint leaves, tomatoes and onions on top or eat it plain - or any combination thereof. Zaatar is an ancient herb mix prepared traditionally in the mountain villages. The old ladies go into the valleys in spring and collect wild thyme and sumac bark (similar to cinnamon). They are dried in the sun then the sumac is ground to a powder and the thyme is thrashed and threshed then also ground to a coarse powder. The mix consists of thyme, sumac and roasted sesame seeds. Keeps for ever in an airtight container. It is then mixed with olive oil to spread. Brilliant stuff. My inlaws make it. You ought to be able to buy some from any arab shop but make sure it is Lebanese otherwise there is cumin and all sorts of weird stuff in there and it may be made with green thyme which is more bitter.

If you don't mind me asking, where do you live? I wonder if I could find a way for you to get some or even send you some "real mccoy" village-made? I plan on bringing some back with me in Jan.

W

poppy seeds? sauteed onions? I need to read more carefully - hmmm

Yep, I thought it sounded like Purim - but that is not usually a flat bread, unless she improvised?

Recipe here:

http://www.jewishfood-list.com/recipes/bread/onionpoppyring01.html

Wilma, I live in Southwest Missouri. In a small town. Finding imported foods and spices is rather hit and miss. I know this woman wasn't Jewish. Like I said, it has been so many years ago, that I am probably describing it wrong. But I don't think it tasted anything like pizza. I know there weren't any dried tomatoes on it. But it could have been sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds. It was very flavorful.

No, they don't have tomatoes - just the herb mix with olive oil - but some people add the fresh salady stuff before they eat ...

I lived in Ohio for four years. Started out in Youngstown and moved up to Cleveland for the last two years, a great town. Never got to go to MO although I travelled 'round a fair bit. What is your area like? You been there all along? I kept moving away then coming back to London - then met hubby and settled here in '93 for good.
W

Thanks for that Hyp

Crikes - sorry, FG. I totally missed those posts! That's the problem with doing sixty things at the once - I can't do anything properly enough - looked like I was ignoring you and I wasn't

I'm off to look for the ingredients of the 7 spice

W

Lebanese 7 spice powder: cloves, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg. I bet this would be very nice done fresh at home! I must try that... Isn't it odd that I have used this as one ingredient all this time and it took your question for me to find out what was in it??

Hyp, there is a huge (HUGE) Lebanese foodie community in Houston, TX. I bet I could find you someone who'd do a mail order - I'll ask for you.
W

What about Toledo, or was it Poetic Licence from M*A*S*H

I know that "interesting" soldier guy in MASH was Lebanese and there are a "squillion" Lebanese in the US but the really big food hub is in Houston - all the wholesalers of Lebanese food supplying Lebanese shops and restaurants in the US seem to be based there. I have just posted a message on a US Lebanese site. Hopefully someone will reply before 2007!
RG, you're in Uk if I remember correctly? I could post you some in Jan to try. Wouldn't offer to post to US as you're not allowed foods in.
W

Aaah... school run
gotta go - talk again later, I hope
W

Cheers Wilma

It is much more likely to have been the manakeesh. I have been trying to remember as much about it as I can. It wasn't shaped like the Purim. It was a round flat bread about 2 or 3 inches thick. I remember that it smelled wonderful from the herbs. My co-worker didn't make it herself. Her mother made it. It must have been a very common dish because they always seemed to have some of it available. So it wasn't a special holiday bread. And it was definitely Lebanese - not Jewish.

It was savory with no sweet taste at all. And the more I think about it, I think it was sesame seeds rather than poppy seeds. (It was the bialy that had the poppy seeds.) The only other thing I remember about it is that it had at least some oil on it because one day we were out of napkins and we all had to go into the rest room for paper towels to wipe the oil off of our fingers. (Isn't it bizarre what we remember?)

And of course I remember that everyone in the office loved it. It was just delicious.

I live in the town where I was born. It is called Webb City and is located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. My family has been here since 1880. Not a long time in UK terms, but still long enough for it to be home. The population is around 10,000. Our city limits runs together with a larger city of only around 45,000 called Joplin. So, the population isn't large enough for us to get a lot of international items.

I moved away after university, then married and only came back here in 1992. I lived in three cities in Missouri and three in Texas during that time. I was living in Beaumont, TX when I had the Lebanese bread. Beaumont is about 70 miles east of Houston, if I remember.

RESULT

are you there, Hyp?

W

I'm here.

I sent you a message - got an email addy for you

Saw it.