Armenian Manti in Aleppo

This is the manti of western Armenian cooking, and one thing sets it apart from every other regional manti: it is baked. The dough is rolled thin and cut into small squares, minced meat goes in the middle of each, and the sides are left open like a little boat. The parcels are arranged in a round tray in a rosette and go into the oven; they come out browned and crisp on top. They are never boiled and never steamed.

What goes on top

The tray reaches the table dry, with the sauce apart from it. Garlic yoghurt — matzoon in Armenian — comes in a jug, melted butter separately, and sumac, dried mint and red pepper in small bowls. The yoghurt is poured over the tray and the dough starts to drink it, so there is no such thing as eating this slowly. A clear meat broth called mantapour comes alongside in its own bowl.

How it came to Aleppo

The dish was not invented in Aleppo; it was carried there. The Armenian community that settled in the city after 1915 brought western Armenian cooking with it, and manti belongs to that kitchen. Today it is cooked in the Armenian quarters of Aleppo and in the kitchens of Armenian associations; it is not on every general restaurant menu in the city.

Set it beside shish barak

Both are small parcels of dough, both have yoghurt over them, and the two get confused. The method is the opposite. Shish barak cooks inside the yoghurt sauce and the dough stays soft. Manti dries out in the oven and the yoghurt is poured over afterwards. Same dough, two ways of cooking it — and as a result the two plates taste nothing alike.