Malawach

Malawach, as traditionally served byYemenite Jews, withzhoug andresek.
Type	Bread
Place of origin	Yemen
Region or state	Israel
Created by	Yemenite Jews[1][2]
Main ingredients	Laminated dough,clarified butter, orbutter, orcooking oil, occasionallyNigella sativa
Media: Malawach

Malawach orMelawwaḥ (Hebrew: מלוואח), is aJewish Yemeniteflatbread that is traditional inYemeni cuisine as well asIsraeli cuisine. The name of the dish comes from theArabic "ملوح", literally “board-like bread”. It was brought toIsrael byYemenite Jews.^[3][4] Malawach resembles a thickpancake but consists of thin layers ofpuff pastry brushed withoil or fat and cooked flat in a frying pan.^[5][6] It is traditionally served with hard-boiledeggs,zhug, and a crushed or grated tomato dip. Sometimes it is served withhoney.^[7]

"The dough traditionally takes three days to make, since it is a multi-stage process, and the dough must rest in between each phase.”

— Regev Eibenschutz^[8]

Malawach is made from the same dough asjachnun, a Yemenite JewishShabbat bread, and both originated as a variation of puff pastry, brought toYemen byJews expelled from Spain. It later became"ajin", an enriched dough only made by theYemenite Jews, and was not made by the non-JewishYemenis, according to RabbiGil Marks, a Jewish food historian.^[9][10]

Malawach was traditionally prepared at home by thewomen in the Yemenite Jewish community, and is made out of a laminated dough similar topuff pastry that has been enriched with either butter, Clarified butter, or margarine ifpareve; creating a very flaky consistency with many layers, similar to acroissant. The dough is divided into balls, and is rolled out and then commonly placed betweenwax paper and placed in thefreezer. It is then fried in a small amount of oil from a frozen state, as if it is fried fresh the butter or other fat will seep out of the dough, making it harder to work with and not flaky. Freezing the dough helps the butter or other fat remain in solid form once the malawach comes into contact with the hot oil, causing the creation of its signature flaky layers, and causing the bread to rise somewhat. Malawach is typically fried as one largeflatbread, though sometimes it is fried in smaller pieces. It is served hot, traditionally withzhoug,resek, andhardboiled egg, although a variety of other pairings and dips are now popular as well such as honey, jam, labneh, shakshouka,baba ghanoush,matbucha, andmuhammara, among others.^{[11][12][13][14][15]}

Malawach has historically been a staple of theYemenite Jews. Throughexodus of Yemenite Jews from Yemen in the mid-20th century, and their subsequentaliyah toIsrael, it has become a very popular dish in Israel, and a favorite comfort food for Israelis of all backgrounds and origins. Malawach is traditionally made at home by members of the Yemenite Jewish community, but with the newfound, widespread popularity of malawach in Israel in recent decades it is now commonly served at restaurants in Israel, many of which are dedicated to serving malawach, and related dishes such asjachnun. It is commonly used as asandwich wrap similar to alaffa, and is commonly served withshakshouka,hummus,sabich, and many other dishes. It is also commonly served as a dessert withlabneh andjam. It is also used as apizza crust. Frozen malawah is commonly available in grocery stores across the nation, by brands such asTa'amti, andOsem, and is exported abroad tokosher supermarkets in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, and other nations. Frozen malawach can be used as a substitute for dough in different recipes such asbourekas,sambusak, and many others.^{[16][17][18][19][20][21]}

• Yemenite Jewish cuisine
• Israeli cuisine
• Israeli culture
• Jewish cuisine
• Sephardic Jewish cuisine
• Jachnun
• Kubaneh

• Yemeni breads
• Yemenite Jews
• Israeli breads
• Mizrahi Jewish cuisine
• Jewish baked goods
• Puff pastry

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata