Fattet Makdous

Fattet makdous is a Syrian fatteh of crisp flatbread, aubergine and minced beef, finished with garlic yoghurt, tahini and pine nuts. Fatteh is a family of Levantine dishes built on bread and yoghurt, shared across Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. In Syria it is a substantial dish, with meat as well as vegetables, and the bread at the base soaks up the yoghurt as it is eaten.

What it really is

Pieces of crisp flatbread form the base. Aubergine and minced beef are cooked separately and layered over the bread. Garlic yoghurt goes over the top, then tahini is drizzled across and pine nuts are scattered on. Because the dish is assembled rather than cooked as one pot, each layer keeps its own texture until it reaches the table.

How it's served

• Fresh, assembled just before it goes to the table, so the bread still has some crispness on top.
• Brought out in a wide dish and shared, with a spoon taken from the middle.
• Eaten with a spoon, the yoghurt softening the bread underneath and the crisp pieces staying on top.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the protein: "with minced beef". The main ingredient is aubergine, so guests may assume a vegetable dish unless the beef is stated.
• Flag wheat in the flatbread, milk in the yoghurt, sesame in the tahini, and tree nuts in the pine nuts. Tell guests with a tree-nut allergy that the pine nuts are a tree nut.
• Do not sell it as vegetarian or vegan. The minced beef is part of the standard dish.
• Say whether the yoghurt and tahini are on the dish or served on the side, and whether the bread is made in-house.