Flatbread

A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread.

Flatbreads range from below one millimeter to a few centimeters thick so that they can be easily eaten without being sliced. They can be baked in an oven, fried in hot oil, grilled over hot coals, cooked on a hot pan, tava, comal, or metal griddle, and eaten fresh or packaged and frozen for later use.

History

Flatbreads were amongst the earliest processed foods, and evidence of their production has been found at ancient sites in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and the Indus civilization.

In 2018, charred bread crumbs were found at a Natufian site called Shubayqa 1 in Jordan (in Harrat ash Shaam, the Black Desert) dating to 12,400 BC, some 4,000 years before the start of agriculture in the region. Analysis showed that they were probably from flatbread containing wild barley, einkorn wheat, oats, and Bolboschoenus glaucus tubers (a kind of rush).

Primitive clay ovens (tandir) used to bake unleavened flatbread were common in Anatolia during the Seljuk and Ottoman eras, and have been found at archaeological sites distributed across the Middle East. The word tandır comes from the Akkadian tinuru, which becomes tannur in Hebrew and Arabic, tandır in Turkish, and tandur in Urdu/Hindi. Of the hundreds of bread varieties known from cuneiform sources, unleavened tinuru bread was made by adhering bread to the side walls of a heated cylindrical oven. This type of bread is still central to rural food culture in this part of the world, reflected by the local folklore, where a young man and woman sharing fresh tandır bread is a symbol of young love, however, the culture of traditional bread baking is changing with younger generations, especially with those who reside in towns showing preference for modern conveniences.

List of flatbreads

Europe

• Bannock (Scotland): a quick bread baked from grain
• Bazlama (Turkey): made from wheat flour, water, and salt
• Blini (Russia)
• Bolo do caco (Madeira, Portugal)
• Borlengo (Italy)
• Farl (Ireland and Scotland)
• Flammkuchen/Tarte flambée (Alsace): thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle and covered with onions and lardons
• Flatbrød (Norway): barley flour, salt and water, or potato, flour and salt, or peas flour and salt.
• Flatkaka (Iceland): rye flatbread
• Focaccia (Italy)
• Ftira (Malta)
• Gözleme (Turkey): folded over a savoury filling and fried on a griddle
• Hoggan (Cornwall): made from barley flour containing pieces of pork, and potato
• Hönökaka (Bohuslän): made from wheatmeal. The name is the commercial variant of the traditional name "bagebröd", meaning "baked bread".
• Lagana (Greece)
• Lángos (Hungary)
• Lefse (Norway)
• Oatcake (United Kingdom)
• Pane carasau (Sardinia, Italy)
• Parlenka (Bulgaria)
• Pita (Turkey)
• Pogača (Balkans and Turkey)
• Pastetx (Gascony, France)
• Piadina (Italy): white flour, lard (or olive oil), salt and water
• Pinsa (Rome): wheat and other flours, such as barley, rice, oats, and millet
• Pita (Greece)
• Pită/Lipie/Turtă (Romania)
• Pichade (Menton, France)
• Pissaladière (France)
• Podpłomyk (Poland)
• Posúch (Slovakia)
• Rieska (Finland)
• Saj bread (Turkey)
• Somun and Lepina (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• Spianata sarda (Sardinia, Italy)
• Staffordshire oatcake (England)
• Shotis Puri (Georgia)
• Tonis puri (Georgia)
• Tigella (Italy)
• Talo (France)
• Torta (Spain)
• Torta al testo (Umbria, Italy)
• Torta de Gazpacho (Spain)
• Tunnbröd (Sweden): any combination of wheat, barley and rye
• Yufka (Turkey): wheat flour, water and salt

Middle East and Africa

• Aghroum (Algeria): Berber flatbread made with semolina
• Barbari (Iran)
• Bataw (Egypt)
• Chapati (Swahili coast, Uganda)
• Eish merahrah (Egypt): made with 5–10% ground fenugreek seeds and maize
• Gurassa (bread) (Sudan)
• Harcha (Morocco): fried buttery bread made of semolina
• Injera (Horn of Africa): teff flour
• Khebz (Levant)
• Khubz (Arabian Peninsula)
• Khubz Asmr (Saudi Arabia) (Arabian Peninsula): made of wholemeal flour, yeast, and salt
• Khubz al-Jamri (Arabia, Northern Yemen): ash cake made by burying dough in hot ashes and embers
• Kisra, (Sudan)
• Lahoh (Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen)
• Lavash (Armenia and Iran)
• Zhingyalov Hats (Armenia): flatbread filled with herbs and spices
• Lebanese Bread (Lebanon): white flour, dried yeast, sugar, salt and water
• Malooga (Yemen): water, yeast, salt and flour
• Markook (Levant)
• Matnakash (Armenia)
• Matzo (Jewish): white plain flour and water
• M'lawi (Tunisia): water, olive oil, semolina and flour
• Moroccan Frena
• Mulawah (Yemen)
• Murr (Israel)
• Muufo (Somalia)
• Ngome (Mali): millet, water and vegetable oil
• Pita (Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East)
• Sabaayad (Somalia and Djibouti)
• Saj bread (Lebanon, Israel)
• Sangak (Iran)
• Taboon bread, (Lebanon)
• Taftan (Iran)

Central Asia

• Afghan bread or "Nan" (Afghanistan)
• Bolani (Afghanistan): a vegetarian flat-bread dish
• Obi Non (Afghanistan and Uzbekistan)
• Shelpek (Kazakhstan)
• Tandoor-nan (Central Asia)
• Tandyr nan (Central Asia)
• Tapansha, Taba nan (Kazakhstan)

East Asia

• Bindaeddeok (Korea): pancake made from mung bean flour
• Bing (China)

• Green onion pancake (China): made with oil and minced scallions (green onions)
• Laobing (China)
• Sanchuisanda (China)
• Shaobing (China)

• Guokui (China): stuffed flatbread made from wheat
• Hotteok (Korea):

South Asia

• Aloo paratha (India and Pakistan)
• Akki rotti (India)
• Appam (India): pancake made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk
• Bakarkhani (Bangladesh)
• Bhakri (India): made with water and millet flour
• Bhatura (Indian subcontinent): made with white flour, yogurt, ghee (or oil), and yeast
• Chapati (Indian subcontinent): made from atta flour (whole grain durum wheat), water
• Chili parotha (India)
• Chikkolee (India)
• Dhebra (India)
• Dosa (India): batter made from rice and black gram fried on a griddle
• Gobi paratha (India and Pakistan)
• Jolada rotti (India)
• Kalai roti (Bangladesh)
• Kaak (Pakistan)
• Kachori (Indian subcontinent)
• Kothu parotta (India)
• Kulcha (Indian subcontinent)
• Luchi (India and Bangladesh): fine maida flour with water and a spoonful of ghee
• Makki di roti (India and Pakistan)
• Mughlai paratha (India and Bangladesh)
• Naan (Indian subcontinent and Central Asia): leavened with yeast, unlike Roti bread
• Paratha (Indian subcontinent)
• Parotta (India and Sri Lanka)
• Pathiri (India): is a traditional roti that originated from Malabar cuisine.
• Pesarattu (India): pancake made from green gram (Mung) batter
• Phulka (Indian subcontinent): made from whole wheat flour, water and salt. It is like a baked variety of Puri.
• Poli (India): made from whole wheat flour, water and salt. It is folded and layered round flat bread.
• Pol roti (Sri Lanka): made from scraped coconut and wheat or kurakkan flour, with green chillis and onion
• Puri (Indian subcontinent): prepared from dough of atta and salt
• Ragi rotti (India and Sri Lanka)
• Roast paan (Sri Lanka): bread mixture baked in a flat mold, producing, literally, a 'flat' bread.
• Roti (Indian subcontinent)
• Rumali roti (Indian subcontinent)
• Sheermal (Indian subcontinent and Iran)
• Taftan (Indian subcontinent and Iran)

Southeast Asia

• Aparon (Philippines)
• Bánh (Vietnam)
• Kabkab (Philippines)
• Khanom buang (Thailand): rice flour
• Kiping (Philippines)
• Piaya (Philippines)
• Roti prata (Singapore)
• Roti canai (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand)
• Roti tissue (Indonesia and Malaysia)

Americas

• Arepa (Colombia, Venezuela): flat, unleavened bread made of cornmeal
• Bammy (Jamaica): made from grated cassava root or cassava flour and salt
• Bannock (food): a variety of flat quick bread or any large, round article baked or cooked from grain
• Beiju (Brazil): made from tapioca
• Casabe (South America, Caribbean): made from bitter cassava root
• Frybread (United States)
• Johnnycake (North America and Caribbean)
• Native American Flatbread (North America): made from maize flour in a traditional style of early Native Americans; now topped with ground beef, vegetables, beans and cheese
• Pan de semita (Mexico)
• Piki (Hopi): made very thin from blue corn and baked on a hot flat stone
• Ploye (Canada): thin crepe made from buckwheat flour, traditional to the Brayons of northeast New Brunswick.
• Pupusa (El Salvador)
• Tortilla (Mexico, Central and South America): either as corn tortilla or flour tortilla
• Tortilla de Rescoldo (Chile): wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire

Australia

• Damper (traditionally)

See also

• List of ancient dishes and foods
• List of baked goods
• List of breads

References

Further reading

• 2005. "High-Profile Flatbreads - Say Goodbye to Insipid White Bread When Tortillas and Flatbreads Come to Town". FOOD PRODUCT DESIGN -NORTHBROOK-. 15, no. 1: 96–114. ISSN 1065-772X.
• 2008. "Flatbreads Old World: Meets New Flatbreads from All Over the World-Including Tortillas, Arepas and Naan-Are the Newest Hot Ticket in Both Retail and Foodservice Products". FOOD PRODUCT DESIGN -NORTHBROOK-. 18, no. 11: 38–43.
• 2008. "Storied Breads: With a Continuing Focus on Food Origin, Flatbreads Offer Manufacturers a Way to Tempt Consumers with Authentic Products Celebrating the Oldest-Known Bread Traditions". BAKING AND SNACK. 30, no. 7: 35–42. ISSN 1092-0447.
• 2011. "Flat-Out in Love with Flatbread Here Are 5 Reasons Foodservice Is Smitten with Flatbreads". FOOD MANAGEMENT -NEW YORK THEN CLEVELAND OH-. 46, no. 11: 30–35. ISSN 0091-018X.
• Alford, Jeffrey, and Naomi Duguid. Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker's Atlas. New York: W. Morrow, 1995. Summary: Recipes for more than sixty varieties of flatbreads along with 150 recipes for traditional accompaniments to the breads, including chutneys, curries, salsas, stews, mezze, smorgasbord, kebabs, etc.
• Craddock, Anne. Textural Characteristics of Bagels and Ethnic Flatbreads. 1998. Thesis. 124 leaves.
• German, Donna Rathmell. Flatbreads from Around the World. San Leandro, Calif: Bristol Pub, 1994.
• Hansen, Eric. 2015. "Fabled Flatbreads of Uzbekistan." Aramco World. July/August 2015. Pages 32–39.
• Helou, Anissa. Savory Baking from the Mediterranean: Focaccias, Flatbreads, Rusks, Tarts, and Other Breads. New York: William Morrow, 2007.
• Kahlon, Talwinder Singh, and Mei-Chen Maggie Chiu. 2014. "Ancient Whole Grain Gluten-Free Flatbreads". Food and Nutrition Sciences. 05, no. 17: 1717–1724.