Iraqi Makanek (مقانق عراقي)

The Iraqi makanek belongs to the family of the Levantine makanek, of which the Lebanese makanek has a separate entry. The term derives from the Arabic maqāniq, kin to the Greek loukaniko and the Latin lucanica, one of the oldest etymological threads in this book. The Kitab al-Tabikh, the Abbasid cookbook written in the tenth century by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq in Baghdad, devotes an entire chapter to the laqaniq, sausages stuffed into fine casings, attesting to a charcuterie tradition in Baghdad at least a thousand years before the first European codifications.

What separates the Iraqi makanek from its Lebanese cousin is Mesopotamia: The Iraqi baharat (allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, paprika) produces a rounder warmth than the Levantine blend, a reflection of a geographical position at the junction of the Levant and the Persian Gulf, where Indian spices are more present in everyday cooking than in Lebanon. The crushed walnuts replace the pine nuts of the Lebanese makanek, bringing crunch and a gentle bitterness. The pomegranate molasses (dibs rumman), a thick syrup obtained by reducing pomegranate juice, is worked directly into the forcemeat and not used only as a glaze; its fruity sourness gives the product a sweet-and-sharp character absent from the Lebanese version.

It is eaten pan-fried in its own fat, then glazed with pomegranate molasses and lemon juice at the end of cooking. It is served as a mezze with samoun bread (the traditional lozenge-shaped loaf), pickled vegetables (torshi) and tahini. In the working-class districts of Baghdad, it is sold in street butchers’ shops and breakfast restaurants, where it accompanies the morning’s fried eggs, fresh cheese, and sweet black tea (istikan).