Following the scent of Lahmajun?

My friend Vasken Kalayjian is a renaissance man... the advertiser, the brand specialist, the father, the artist, the spiritual thinker, the lover, and the romantic... Throughout the years at times we were in the same yoga class, lived on the same street, exchanged ideas in the same branding brainstorming meetings and also broke bread at the same dinner table...

Until I asked him for this post I had no idea we also had another shared passion... We were both once young kids begging our mothers for more LAHMAJUN!...

( my mom use to hate Lahmacun but she was kind enough to take me to the specialty store Kahraman Maras in Nisantasi, and waited outside while I had mine....because the place stunk of onions, garlic, spices... YUMMM!!!)

Read this from his pen...

"Lahmajun-seeking has been a great entry for me into many Middle Eastern cultures. In conversing with local people, I’ve been provided insight into the little-known delicacies -- Lahmajun in particular."

A cab driver in Dubai told me about a great little restaurant hidden from the fancy glittering skyscrapers where I could find authentic Lahmajun. He informed me that the chef happened to be from Aleppo, where I believe the world’s best Middle Eastern cuisine, perfected over 10,000 years, is found.

An Egyptian doorman in Stockholm told me where to find the best Lebanese restaurant in town where they also make great Lahmajun. (Trust me; it was a lifesaver after 3 days of salmon and white fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner.)

My adventurous spirit to travel to new places, learn and grow through interesting encounters with people is something my soul yearns for in this life. I do love food and consider myself a “foodie”.

A few years ago, I planned a historical journey with my two gorgeous daughters, Lara and Sevan. Together, we visited Turkey, Syria, and Armenia. My goal was to go beyond the typical tourist trip to allow my daughters to experience each authentic culture to its fullest extent.

Istanbul is one of my top ten favorite cities in the world. Both the classic Turkish and Ottoman cuisines are so tasty and familiar to my Armenian taste buds.

Of the many excellent restaurants we tried in Istanbul, we thought Istanbul’s most exquisite and romantic fine dining experience was at Tuğra Restaurant, located on the first floor of the original Çırağan Palace where we stayed. (Thank you, Moshe, for recommending it!) The feast began with the wonderful ambience: rich Ottoman décor, live classical Turkish music and the ever-stirring backdrop of the Bosphorus. We were offered a table on Tuğra’s summer terrace, lit by the moon, a candle, and the Bosphorus Bridge, but it was a little chilly and noisy out there with a wedding party below so we opted to go back indoors. With specialties like Lamb Külbastı and Testi Kebab, Tuğra’s modern classic menu with obscure classic Turkish and Ottoman cuisine will take you back to the glorious eras of the Sultans. The traditional candy stick trolley "Macun" and my other favorite sweets were dream come true. The girls had an excellent bottle of wine, but I am so conditioned to drink Arak (Turks call it “Raki”) with this type of food.

Lahmacun, (Turkish pronunciation: [lahmaˈdʒun]) or lahmajoun (Armenian - Lahmadjun lahmaǰun), from Arabic: لحم بعجين‎, lahm bi'ajīn, "meat with dough", is an item of prepared food thought to have originated in the early Syrian cuisine of the Levant. It consists of a round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat (most commonly beef and lamb mixed with spices). Lahmajun is often served sprinkled with lemon juice and wrapped around vegetables, including pickles, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, and parsley or cilantro.

On our second round of Istanbul, we wanted to expand our restaurant experience and tried less fancy places one of them was: Hamdi Restaurant near Galata Bridge on the Europe side. I judge casual Turkish restaurants by their Lahmajun, and it was excellent. They served it with all the traditional toppings including smoked eggplant.

Lahmajun is prominently made and sold in Armenia, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey, where there are restaurants that specialize in it, and many countries with sizeable Near and Middle Eastern communities, where it is sometimes labeled as Turkish Pizza or Armenian Pizza.

As a little boy growing up in Aleppo, my mother would prepare the topping, the meat and spice mixture, and have me bring it to the baker who would make it into Lahmajun. I had very clear instructions to keep my eye on the baker so he did not keep some of the mixture for himself and not to eat any myself on the way back. Telling a little boy not to eat hot, delicious Lahmajun after hours of waiting was torture, so I often succumbed. My mother would always know from my breath, but I was her baby so I got away with it."

I have visited some of the best Lahmajun bakeries in Glendale, CA where there is a sizable Armenian population. In the New York Metro area, here are my recommendations for a few places with excellent Lahmajun: Ali Baba, 206 East 34th Street New York NY 10016 T: 212-683-9206 and Saray Turkish Restaurant: 770 Campbell Avenue, West Haven, CT 06516 T: 203-9370707

You can also buy them frozen, but always use a toaster oven, not a microwave, to reheat them. Many Middle Eastern stores carry two popular brands here in this area: the Assadourian brand, (Assadourian, Inc Middle East Lahmajun 355 Anderson Avenue, Fairview, New Jersey T: (201) 941-5662) which is the more Aleppo-style and authentic, and the Kupelian brand, (Kupelian Foods Inc. 146 Bergen Tpke, Ridgefield Park, NJ T: (201) 440-8055) which is less flavorful and skimpy with toppings.