Manoosheh منقوشه

I  had some Lebanese flatbread leftover from Sunday breakfast and so I wanted to find something to make with it and came across Lebanese breakfast bread, known as manoosheh. Glancing at a recipe, I realised I already had all the necessary ingredients to hand, if I replaced sumac with lemon zest. This is a simple dish that can be made in very little time. As someone who is not so accustomed to Lebanese flavours, this combination of ingredients tasted incredible to me! The fresh thyme and lemon zest made it very fragrant and the crunchy toasted sesame seeds went great with the doughy bread.

I can see myself making this again and experimenting with different kinds of zaatar. This just so happens to be vegan which, for me, is a bonus! It makes me wonder how so many ‘Western’ cultures regard bland cereal or toast as a breakfast worthy of eating every single morning! For me, there is a whole world of breakfast flavours out there, waiting for us to break the mould and discover. In Japan, people eat nattō (fermented beans) for their morning meal. See? Breakfast need not be so bland!