Markook (bread) facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Shrak, ruqaq, rqeeq, or mashrooh |
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| Type | Flatbread |
| Place of origin | Middle East |
| Region or state | Levant, and Arabian Peninsula |
Markook bread is a very thin, flat bread from the Middle East. People in places like the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula enjoy it a lot.
This bread is special because it's unleavened. This means it's made without yeast or baking powder. So, it doesn't puff up like regular bread.
Markook is often baked on a special curved metal griddle called a saj. Sometimes, it's also cooked in a traditional clay oven called a tannour.
The dough for Markook is simple. It's usually just flour, water, and salt. After mixing, the dough rests, then it's divided into small balls. Each ball is flattened until it's super thin. Then, it's quickly cooked on the hot saj.
Markook bread is much larger and thinner than pita bread, which is another common Middle Eastern bread. It's often folded up and put into bags when sold.
What's in a Name?
The name Markook comes from the Arabic word raqiq (رقيق). This word means "delicate" or "thin." It perfectly describes this very thin bread!
Markook bread has many other names too. Some people call it khubz ruqaq, shrak, khubz rqeeq, or mashrooh. In some places, it's also known as saj bread.
A Look Back in Time
Markook bread has a long history. It was mentioned in a cookbook from the 10th century. This book was written by a person named Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq. He called it ruqaq and described it as a large, paper-thin bread.
In the early 1900s, a German expert named Gustaf Dalman studied foods in Palestine. He noted that markook was also the name for flatbread made in a tannour oven. Sometimes, this version even had a little bit of leavening.
Gallery
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Markouk prepared by Syrian Jews in Jerusalem
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A Palestinian woman baking markook bread on Saj oven in the village of Artas near Bethlehem
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Markouk being prepared and cooked on a Saj (utensil)
