Tortilla-Based Lahambajine Recipe

Growing up between Sephardic and Ashkenazi families gave me the best of both worlds, though let’s be honest, Sephardic food tends to be a bit more intricate. When my mom, whose family is from Poland, married my dad, whose roots trace back to Syria and Egypt, she struck culinary gold: My Nona gifted her a handwritten book filled with every recipe my dad loved! Some were simple, others extremely complex. Rather than following it exactly, my mom decided to make it her own.

Born in Guatemala, my mom was deeply familiar with Latin flavors, and her multicultural family and community inspired her to adapt Nona’s recipes by adjusting ingredients here and there. The Jewish community in Guatemala itself is a blend of traditions, with families having settled there from Yemen, Poland, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey, Israel and Lebanon. While Jews from many places live here today, the first to establish the organized Jewish community came from Morocco, Turkey, Israel and Lebanon, creating a uniquely diverse culinary environment.

One of my dad’s favorite dishes is lahambajine, a Middle Eastern meat pizza that always appears on the Shabbat table as an appetizer. Its ingredients — ground meat, tomato paste, tamarind paste, and pine nuts — are a testament to Syrian cuisine. Across Middle Eastern countries, meat dishes almost always include some kind of nut, though the specific ingredients vary. This version is distinctly Syrian-inspired, with tamarind paste being the least common ingredient, though it’s easily found at Whole Foods, Amazon, or specialty Middle Eastern stores.

Traditionally, lahambajine is made on small circles of dough. My mom, however, has never had the patience for that. Instead, she’s always made a larger version, and if you ask me, it’s much better. Her secret? A flour tortilla. White or whole wheat both work, and this simple substitution is the Latin twist she brought to a classic Syrian dish passed down from my Nona. While my grandmother used allspice, my mom simplified the seasoning to just cumin, which was better suited to her palate.

This is our family’s version of the iconic meat pizza that my dad craves endlessly. If you’re looking for an easy Shabbat appetizer that takes about an hour from start to finish and guarantees happy guests, this is the recipe for you!

Notes:

• The flour tortilla can be white or whole wheat. If you want, you could even substitute for a flatbread!
• Once you take them out of the oven, you can decide to eat the whole or cut them into triangles like a “pizza.”
• The tamarind paste I use has sugar in it. However if you find one without, you’ll need to add a tablespoon or two of sugar to your meat mixture. 
• If you want, you can add in more spices like allspice, cinnamon and a few others. 
• Pine nuts are not necessary, but they are classic in this Syrian dish. 
• If you want to make ahead for Shabbat, this dish can be frozen right before baking, and it doesn’t have to thaw before baking on Friday. If cooked from frozen, it might take 35–40 minutes to bake.
• This meat filling can also be used to make burekas (sambusak style).

This article was produced as part of The Nosher’s Jewish Food Fellows Program, which aims to diversify the voices telling Jewish food stories in media spaces.

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