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Martabak | Traditional Pancake From Yemen, Arabian Peninsula | TasteAtlas
Martabak | Traditional Pancake From Yemen, Arabian Peninsula | TasteAtlas
Martabak | Traditional Pancake From Yemen, Arabian Peninsula | TasteAtlas
Martabak | Traditional Pancake From Yemen, Arabian Peninsula | TasteAtlas
Martabak | Traditional Pancake From Yemen, Arabian Peninsula | TasteAtlas
Martabak | Traditional Pancake From Yemen, Arabian Peninsula | TasteAtlas
Martabak | Traditional Pancake From Yemen, Arabian Peninsula | TasteAtlas

Martabak

(Murtabak, Mutabbaq, مطبق‎‎, มะตะบะ, Mataba)

Martabak is a roti-like stuffed and fried pancake which is often served as a popular street food item in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Although the fillings may vary, some of the most popular ones include ground meat, eggs, garlic, onions, peppers, curry, and ghee.


Fresh herbs such as coriander and mint are often used for additional flavoring. The flatbread dough is supposed to be extremely thin and requires a lot of expertise. Another name for the dish is mutabbaq, an Arabic word meaning folded, referring to the way in which the stretchy dough is folded around the filling during cooking.


The end product is usually shaped like a rectangle, right after it develops a golden brown color on both sides. It is believed that martabak was invented in Yemen and Saudi Arabia around the same time, and as both countries have a large Indian population, it soon spread to other regions of the Arabic world, India, and Persia.


Today, when martabak is not served fresh from street stalls, it can be found in numerous stores in its finished form, while sweet varieties called martabak manis are especially popular - filled with chocolate, peanuts, and sugar.