Lahmacun
Lahmacun (also known as Lahamajoun) is a traditional Turkish and Armenian flatbread topped with finely minced lamb, vegetables, and a fragrant blend of earthy spices, for extra spice, you can drizzle extra chilli sauce over the top. Often called “Turkish pizza,” it’s a beloved street‑food staple across the region, proving that simple ingredients can create something truly unforgettable.
The ultra‑thin base is traditionally made from scratch, but I take a helpful shortcut by using quality store‑bought pizza dough or ready‑baked flatbreads, because the real magic lies in the flavour‑packed topping of minced meat, peppers, tomato, fresh herbs, and a bold spice mixture. Fresh from the oven, it’s typically served with herbs, onions, lemon, and crunchy salad, then rolled up and eaten by hand — the kind of food that invites you to savour every bite.
This recipe stays true to those roots while keeping the method simple and achievable for home cooks, delivering that same vibrant, comforting flavour straight from your own kitchen.
Serving Suggestions for Lahmacun
- Shredded lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and red onion — the classic fresh topping
- Sumac onions with parsley and lemon for sharpness
- Pickled red cabbage or pickled turnips for crunch and acidity
- Fresh herbs — parsley, mint, or dill scattered generously
- Lemon wedges for squeezing over the hot lahmacun
- Cacık (Turkish tzatziki) or garlicky yoghurt sauce
- Ezme salad — spicy tomato‑pepper relish
- Çoban salatası (shepherd’s salad) for a bright, juicy side
- Kisir salad — fine bulgur salad with tomato paste, pomegranate molasses, herbs
- Grilled halloumi with lemon and oregano
- Roasted aubergine or courgettes with yoghurt
- Pickled chillies for heat
- Hummus or baba ganoush if you want a mezze‑style spread
- Turkish rice pilaf with orzo for a more substantial plate
Lahmacun
Ingredients
- 4 flabtreads
Toppings
- 1 red pepper deseeded cut into chunks
- 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 500 g lamb mince
- Fresh parsley
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1- 1½ tsp chilli flakes
- ¼ – ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the pepper, onion, chilli and cloves and blitz until finely chopped. Tip into a sieve over a bowl and leave to drain as much liquid as possible, you might need to press the back of a spoon over the pepper mixture to push as much liquid through.
- In a bowl add the lamb mince, pepper mixture and the rest of the topping ingredients and with your hands mix together until fully combined and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200c.
- Divide the topping on top of each flatbread, spread with the back of a spoon right up to the edges. Place on a baking tray place in the oven and bake in the oven for around 8-10mins.
- When ready, squeeze over a little lemon juice before serving. If you like spice, why not sprinkle with a pinch of chilli flakes or chilli sauce drizzled over the top.