Cuisine

Matnaqash is a soft, oval leavened bread made from wheat flour, water, yeast, and sometimes a small amount of oil. Its surface is scored before baking with parallel grooves drawn by a comb or the fingertips, creating the ridged pattern from which the bread takes its name — 'matan' meaning finger and 'qashel' meaning to draw or pull. It is baked in a conventional oven, not a tonir.