What Lebanese meat-topped flatbread is also known as lahm bi ajeen?

The Lebanese meat-topped flatbread also known as lahm bi ajeen is Lahmajoun. The Arabic name means “meat with dough,” describing minced meat spread over thin dough before baking.

Lahmajoun is also commonly spelled lahmacun, lahmajun, or lahmajo. Its topping usually combines minced beef or lamb with vegetables, herbs, and spices such as onion, garlic, tomato, parsley, paprika, or chili. It is typically baked without cheese or tomato sauce, so calling it “Lebanese pizza” is only a rough comparison.

The dish belongs to the wider Levantine food tradition and is popular in Lebanon and Syria, as well as in Armenian and Turkish cuisines. A 13th-century Syrian cookbook from Aleppo contains an early written recipe for minced meat spread on round dough and baked in a brick oven.

Lahmajoun is sometimes confused with sfeeha or manakish. Those are related Levantine baked breads, but their toppings, shapes, and regional traditions can differ; lahmajoun is the specific meat-and-dough preparation identified by the name lahm bi ajeen.