This lahmacun recipe is the perfect prepare-ahead lunch. And it’s a great dinner on-the-go. To serve a crowd, slice it up and serve with other Mezze favorites. See serving ideas below.
What is Lahmacun and Where is it From?
Flatbreads have been a popular thing throughout the Mediterranean for ages–from Italian pizza, to Ladenia (Greek Pizza), za’atar manaqish from the Levant, to Armenian lavash and Tunisian Mlewi, to this Lahmacun, known as an Armenian specialty that’s made it’s way to Turkey. Lahmacun, pronounced “lahma’joun”, comes from the Arabic “lahma bi’ajeen,” which literally means “dough with meat.” Think of lahmacun as perfectly thin, crispier pizza (or flatbread), topped with a spiced minced meat mixture. It is popular in Turkey as in various parts of the Levant where the Ottoman empire once extended. And there are meat pie–or pizza–variations, including manaqish and sfiha, along with other famous flatbreads like pide and gözleme. Lahmacun is also known as Armenian pizza, Turkish pizza, Lebanese pizza, Arab pizza…It’s that popular!
How to Make this Lahmacun Recipe
Lahmacun has two different components. The dough and the meat topping. 1- The dough. I hope my Turkish friends will forgive me, I took a major shortcut with the dough here using quality store-bought pizza dough. It works very well. But if you want, you can certainly make a homemade pizza dough from scratch or use my dough recipe for manaqish. Whether you use store-bought dough or make your own, the important thing to remember is that you need to spread the dough well to achieve a very thin flatbread that crisps around the edges when baked. 2- The meat topping. Traditionally, Turkish lahmacun is made with minced lamb, but you can also use lean ground beef. What makes the topping special is the combination of flavors. In this lahmacun recipe, I use a food processor to create the topping. Ground lamb (or beef), mixed with sweet red peppers, shallots, garlic, tomato paste, fresh herbs, and an epic fusion of spices!
I played with the spices and arrived at a complex, earthy, warm blend of: smoked paprika, allspice, cumin, Aleppo-style pepper, a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of cayenne. You can omit the cayenne if you need to, or add more if you like the heat!
Two ways to cook Lahmacun
To make lahmacun, the idea is to spread the spiced meat topping very thinly across the dough. You can bake the lahmacun briefly until the topping is well cooked through and the dough turns nice and crispy around the edges. Or, if you don’t feel like warming up the oven, you can try the stovetop method using a large non-stick skillet (see recipe notes below).
How to Serve Lahmacun
Lahmacun is a popular on-the-go Turkish food. When you visit Turkey, you’ll see people walking the bustling streets of Istanbul, lahmacuns in hand, wrapped up like burritos, and cold glasses of ayran (a salty yogurt drink) to wash it down. To serve lahmacun wraps, all you need is a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top. Add a few slices of red onions, fresh mint leaves, and maybe a few radish slices. Wrap up and enjoy! Or, to serve a larger crowd, you can slice lahmacun up like you would a pizza and add a drizzle of tahini sauce. Consider adding more mezze favorites on the side like this easy Mediterranean salad and roasted garlic hummus.
More recipes to try:
Mediterranean-Style Zucchini Casserole Egyptian Phyllo Meat Pie Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup Easy Apple Strudel Sheet Pan Halibut and Vegetables 5 from 23 reviews
1/2 lb uncooked store-bought organic pizza dough
Topping
1/2 sweet red pepper, cored, cut into chunks 1 shallot, halved 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1/2 oz fresh parsley leaves with some stem 7 oz ground lamb or ground beef 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp ground allspice 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp Aleppo-style pepper 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp salt 4 tbsp tomato paste 2 tbsp Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil Lemon wedges for later
