Sfiha

History

Flatbreads have been present in the Fertile Crescent since prehistoric times. They have been cooked on hot surfaces such as stones, a metal sajj plate, taboon, or tandoor. In the medieval Arab world, with the development of the brick oven or furn, a wide variety of flatbreads baked together with stuffings or toppings emerged, including sfiha, and spread across the Ottoman Empire. The exact origin of modern sfiha is unknown.

Proceedings from the 1889 International Congress of Orientalists describe sfeeha (صفيحة) as a piece of dough topped with ground meat and spices. 19th century Orientalist Reinhart Dozy described ar as a "small pastry" (petit pâté) in his dictionary (Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes).

In Brazil, esfiha gained popularity in the late 20th century, and since has become one of the most popular fast foods.

Etymology

ar means "sheet" in Arabic. The names "sfiha" and "fatayer" are often used interchangeably, but often, fatayer is used to refer to close faced pastries while sfiha refers to the open faced ones.

Main ingredients

Every family has their own preference on what to add in addition to the meat. In Lebanon, the main ingredients are: meat, onions, tomatoes, pine nuts, salt, pepper, and flavorings such as cinnamon, sumac, or pomegranate molasses. The region of Baalbek is especially known for its sfiha. In Syria, Palestine, and Jordan, sfiha is similarly made with minced meat or lamb, in addition to herbs and spices, with tomatoes, onions, and other ingredients.

Esfihas in Brazil are oven-baked and may be open-faced flatbreads about four inches in diameter with meat topping, or folded into a triangular pastry like fatayer. They may have various toppings, including cheese, curd, lamb, beef or vegetables.

Regional variations

Lebanon

Sfiha Baalbakiya () is a variation of sfiha originating from Baalbek, Lebanon. It is a small meatpie with folded sides with a variety of toppings like nuts and lemon juice, often served for special occasions like weddings. Its availability was impacted by the Lebanese liquidity crisis, which gave rise to cheaper, meatless versions.

Palestine

Sfiha Yafawiyeh () is a variant named after its city of origin, Jaffa. Instead of topping flatbread with meat, the bread is rolled into a spiral shape, filled with meat, and topped with sumac. Outside of Jaffa, Palestinian sfiha is pizza-shaped.

In areas like Bethlehem, tahini is a core component of sfiha.

Armenians in Jerusalem make a variation of sfeeha called "Armenian sfeeha" () that is very similar to lahmacun, distinguished from Palestinian-style sfeeha by its thinness.

Latin America

Esfiha, or esfirra, first appeared in Brazil following the arrival of Lebanese immigrants.

Esfihas come in both sweet and savory forms, with toppings like sausage or chocolate. Some esfihas are closed-faced rather than being open-faced like sfiha, making them more similar to fatayer.

Brazilian fast food chains that offer Arab cuisine-inspired foods like Habib's sell hundreds of millions of esfihas a year.

Similar dishes

Eish bi-lahm () is a Saudi Arabian dish very similar to sfiha. It is a large open-faced meat pie with minced meat and vegetables as filling, with the top covered in egg wash.

Lahmacun

Lahmacun is referred to as sfiha in some regions, and the dishes are similar to one another.

References

References

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