History of bread Manoushe in Lebanon

Introduction

The man'oushé is the quintessential Lebanese breakfast. Derived from the Arabic word na'sh which refers to the way the finger tips of the baker “engraves” the dough, the man'oushé is indeed engraved upon our collective memories as Lebanese. The smell of the man'oushé bi-za’tar in the morning catapults a Lebanese person back in time to a lively childhood birthday party, breakfast on the go with classmates before an exam, or a cozy morning spent “tête-à-tête” with a loved one. In such a way, the man'oushé is indeed engraved upon our collective memories as Lebanese.

Satisfying and tasty, it is truly a classless commodity. Tiny bakeries across the country sell this disc of dough pressed flat and baked with a topping of wild thyme, sumac, sesame seeds, salt and oil. One can find a man'oushé literally anywhere, from the poorest neighborhoods to the most affluent of Beirut's suburbs. Inexpensive and delicious, it is one of Lebanon's common denominators.

Forn Saydaleh in Baabda opened its doors 150 years ago. Mr. Kanaan Saydaleh, the owner, operates this bakery with his wife, as he has done for over half a century. Mrs. Saydaleh kindly peeled a fresh orange for me as we sat down to discuss the history of the forn, the street corner Lebanese bakery.

In past generations, no one purchased bread. Bread dough was made at home daily and taken to the village forn (meaning oven) to be baked for a small fee. The expression niswan al-forn refers to the ladies who sat and talked while they waited for their bread to bake. Today, the term is used to describe women who love to gossip. The baker has an important task in the community, as shown in the proverb: “A‘ti Khubzak li-l-Khubbaz wa law akal nusso”, meaning give your bread to a baker, even if he eats half of it.

With the automation of bread making, these small bakeries ceased to bake bread for customers, offering mana'ish (plural for man'oushé) instead. From wild thyme bread, mana'ish became a word used to describe a wide array of pies baked at the forn, topped with cheese, meat, vegetarian and even sweet pies.

It seems every customer has a favorite way to eat the man'oushé. I have so often witnessed men who bluster into the bakery and order: “Sabaho! Buddi man'oushé ‘ala zaw'ak!, which means literally Good morning! I want a man'oushé made to your liking! This places the baker in a position of trust. Women tend to be more particular about how their man'oushé is prepared, often to the extent of bringing in their own toppings and asking the baker to work under their supervision.

The bakery has always been a meeting place. People sit down together to discuss politics and current events. Newspapers are read from front to back and passed on to the next table. Ladies enter in groups to enjoy a subhiyeh (a morning meeting). Once I witnessed a blossoming romance between the baker and a young woman while ordering her cheese pie. Her intentions were so obvious that the baker winked at me while he prepared her order with extra care.

There is a certain satisfaction to be found in preparing your own man'oushé. The recipes included in this book are the result of thorough research of traditional recipes from across the country mixed with a twist of personal creativity. It is up to you to put the two together. By all means, experiment with these recipes and add your personal touch, you will taste the difference!

This book represents tiny pieces of a puzzle which make up moments of my life and the stepping-stone of a unique journey, a journey I would like to share with you.

Barbara Abdeni Massaad Extract from the book Manoushé - Inside the Street Corner Lebanese Bakery