View source for Flatbread

{{short description|Type of bread}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Infobox food
| name = Flatbread
| image = Rye and Potato rieska - 1.JPG
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Homemade flatbread
| country = 
| region = 
| creator = 
| course = 
| type = [[Bread]]
| served = 
| main_ingredient = [[Flour]], [[water]], [[salt]]
| variations = 
| calories = 
| other = 
}}

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 bread|unleavened]], although some are leavened, such as [[pita bread]]. A [[Serving size|serving]] of 85g (~3 ounces) of pita bread has 234 [[Calorie|calories.]]<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Calories in 1 Piece Flatbread |url=https://www.nutritionix.com/food/flatbread/1-piece |website=[[nutritionix]]}}</ref>

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 (cookware)|comal]], or metal griddle, and eaten fresh or packaged and frozen for later use.

==History==
Flatbreads were amongst the earliest [[food processing|processed foods]], and evidence of their production has been found at ancient sites in [[Mesopotamia]], [[ancient Egypt]], and the [[Indus Valley Civilisation|Indus civilization]]. The origin of all flatbread baking systems are said to be from the [[Fertile Crescent]] in West Asia, where they would subsequently spread to other regions of the world.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pasqualone |first1=Antonella |title=Traditional flat breads spread from the Fertile Crescent: Production process and history of baking systems |journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |date=March 2018 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=10–19 |doi=10.1016/j.jef.2018.02.002 |doi-access=free |hdl=11586/217814 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

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'' [[tuber]]s (a kind of rush).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Colin Barras |title=Stone Age bread predates farming |journal=New Scientist |volume=239 |issue=3187 |pages=6 |date=21 July 2018 |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23931873-800-stone-age-bakers-made-first-bread-thousands-of-years-before-farming/ |bibcode=2018NewSc.239....6B |doi=10.1016/S0262-4079(18)31274-0 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Amaia Arranz-Otaegui|display-authors=etal |title=Archaeobotanical evidence reveals the origins of bread 14,400 years ago in northeastern Jordan |journal=[[PNAS]] |volume=115 |issue=31 |pages=7925–7930 |date=16 July 2018 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1801071115|pmid=30012614 |pmc=6077754 |bibcode=2018PNAS..115.7925A |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[Primitive clay oven#Tannour / Tannur|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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Parker |first1=Bradley J. |title=Bread Ovens, Social Networks and Gendered Space: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Tandir Ovens in Southeastern Anatolia |journal=American Antiquity |date=2011 |volume=76 |issue=4 |pages=603–627 |doi=10.7183/0002-7316.76.4.603 |jstor=41331914 |s2cid=163470937 }}</ref><ref>Takaoğlu, T. (2004). Ethnoarchaeological investigations in rural Anatolia. Cihangir, İstanbul: Ege Yayınları. (p7)</ref>

== List of flatbreads ==

=== Europe ===
[[File:Pane carasau.jpg|thumb|[[Pane carasau]] from [[Sardinia#Cuisine|Sardinia]]]]
[[File:Lagana (λαγάνα) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Lagana (bread)|Lagana]] from [[Greece]]]]
* [[Bannock (British food)|Bannock]] ([[Scotland]]): a [[quick bread]] baked from grain
* [[Bazlama]] ([[Turkey]]): made from wheat flour, water, and salt
* [[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 (bread)|Lagana]] ([[Greece]])
* [[Lángos]] ([[Hungary]])
* [[Lefse]] ([[Norway]])
* [[Oatcake]] ([[United Kingdom]])
* [[Pane carasau]] ([[Sardinia]], [[Italy]])
* Parlenka ([[Bulgaria]])
* [[Pita]] ([[Turkey]])
* [[Pizza]] ([[Italy]])
* [[Pogača]] ([[Balkans]] and [[Turkey]])
* [[Talo (food)|Pastetx]] ([[Gascony]], [[France]])
* [[Piadina]] ([[Italy]]): white flour, lard (or olive oil), salt and water
* [[Pinsa (bread)|Pinsa]] ([[Rome]]): wheat and other flours, such as [[barley]], [[rice]], [[oat]]s, and [[millet]]<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Pinsa? - PMQ Pizza Magazine |url=https://www.pmq.com/what-is-pinsa |website=www.pmq.com |date=7 May 2018 |access-date=20 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McCart |first1=Melissa |title=The Roman Pinsa Is the New Pizza |url=https://ny.eater.com/2017/9/11/16291096/camillo-pinsa-prospect-leffert-gardens-opening |website=Eater NY |access-date=20 January 2021 |language=en |date=11 September 2017}}</ref>
* [[Pita]] ([[Greece]])
* [[Lipie (bread)|Pită]]/[[Lipie (bread)|Lipie]]/[[Lipie (bread)|Turtă]] ([[Romania]])
* [[Pissaladière|Pichade]] ([[Menton]], [[France]])
* [[Pissaladière]] ([[France]])
* [[Podpłomyk]] ([[Poland]])
* Posúch ([[Slovakia]])
* [[Finnish bread#Rieska|Rieska]] ([[Finland]])
* [[Saj bread]] ([[Turkey]])
* [[Somun]] and [[Lepina]] ([[Bosnia and Herzegovina]])<ref>{{cite web|author=Rodolfo Toe |url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/sarajevo-traditional-bakery-flavours-muslim-ramadan-06-03-2016 |title=Sarajevo Bakery Braces for Ramadan Bonanza |work=Balkan Insight |date=3 May 2013 |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Celjo |first=Farah |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2018/03/27/serbian-crepes-are-just-one-reason-try-balkan-eatery |title=Serbian crepes are just one reason to try Fabrika by Madera: SBS Food |work=Sbs.com.au |date=27 March 2018 |access-date=5 September 2018}}</ref>
* Spianata sarda ([[Sardinia]], [[Italy]])
* [[Staffordshire oatcake]] ([[England]])
* [[Shotis Puri]] ([[Georgia (country)|Georgia]])
* [[Tonis puri]] ([[Georgia (country)|Georgia]])
* [[Tigella]] ([[Italy]])
* [[Talo (food)|Talo]] ([[France]])
* [[Torta]] ([[Spain]])
* Torta al testo ([[Umbria]], [[Italy]])
* [[Torta de Gazpacho]] ([[Spain]])
* [[Tunnbröd]] ([[Sweden]]): any combination of wheat, barley and rye
* [[Saj bread|Yufka]] ([[Turkey]]): wheat flour, water and salt

=== Middle East and Africa ===
[[File:Lavash.jpg|thumb|[[Georgian cuisine|Georgian]] [[tonis puri]]]]
[[File:PileofpitaS.jpg|thumb|Different types of [[pita]], [[Mahane Yehuda Market|Mahane Yehuda]] marketplace, [[Jerusalem]]]]
[[File:LahohS.jpg|thumb|[[Yemeni cuisine|Yemeni]] [[lahoh]]]]
* [[Aghroum]] ([[Algeria]]): [[Berbers|Berber]] flatbread made with semolina
* [[Barbari bread|Barbari]] ([[Iran]])
* [[Bataw (bread)|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{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}
* [[Injera]] ([[Horn of Africa]]): teff flour
* [[Khebz]] ([[Levant]])
* [[Khubz]] ([[Arabian Peninsula]])
* [[Maryam's Bread]] (Arabian Peninsula)
* Khubz Asmr ([[Saudi Arabia]]) ([[Arabian Peninsula]]): made of wholemeal flour, yeast, and salt{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}
* [[Ash cake|Khubz al-Jamri]] ([[Arabia]], [[Yemen|Northern Yemen]]): ash cake made by burying dough in hot ashes and embers
* [[Kisra]] ([[Sudan]])
* [[Laffa]] ([[Iraq]]) 
* [[Lahoh]] ([[Somalia]], [[Djibouti]], [[Kenya]], [[Yemen]])
* [[Lavash]] ([[Armenia]] and [[Iran]])
* [[Zhingyalov hats|Zhingyalov Hats]] ([[Armenia]]): flatbread filled with herbs and spices
* Lebanese Bread ([[Lebanon]]): white flour, dried yeast, sugar, salt and water{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}
* [[Malooga]] ([[Yemen]]): water, yeast, salt and flour
* [[Markook shrek|Markook]] ([[Levant]])
* [[Matnakash]] ([[Armenia]])
* [[Matzah|Matzo]] ([[Jewish]]): white plain flour and water
* [[Msemen|M'lawi]] ([[Tunisia]]): water, olive oil, semolina and flour
* Moroccan Frena
* [[Khubz mulawah|Mulawah]] ([[Yemen]])
* Murr ([[Israel]])
* Muufo ([[Somalia]])
* [[Ngome (bread)|Ngome]] ([[Mali]]): millet, water and vegetable oil
* [[Pita]] (Eastern [[Mediterranean]] and [[Middle East]])
* [[Sabaayad]] ([[Somalia]] [[Kenya]], and [[Djibouti]])
* [[Saj bread]] ([[Lebanon]], [[Israel]])  
* [[Samoon]] ([[Iraq]])  
* [[Sangak]] ([[Iran]])
* [[Taboon bread]] ([[Lebanon]])
* [[Taftan (bread)|Taftan]] ([[Iran]])

=== Central Asia ===
[[File:Taj Lepeshki.jpg|thumb|A selection of [[Tajik cuisine|Tajik]] [[Naan|non]] ([[naan]])]]
[[File:Afghan bread.jpg|thumb|[[Afghan cuisine|Afghan]] bread]]
* [[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===
[[File:Cooking_Jingzhou_style_guokui.jpg|thumb|Taking [[Jingzhou]]-style ''[[guokui]]'' out of the oven]]

* [[Bindaeddeok]] ([[Korea]]): pancake made from mung bean flour
* [[Bing (Chinese flatbread)|Bing]] ([[China]])
:* [[Cōng yóu bǐng|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===
[[File:Butter Naan With Paneer Butter Masala.jpg|thumb|[[India]]n [[naan]] served with [[paneer makhani|paneer butter masala]]]]
* [[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 (food)|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 (bread)|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.
* [[Puran Poli|Poli]] ([[India]]): made from whole wheat flour, water and salt. It is folded and layered round flat bread.
* [[Roti#Sri Lanka|Pol roti]] ([[Sri Lanka]]): made from scraped [[coconut]] and wheat or [[kurakkan]] flour, with green chillis and onion
* [[Puri (food)|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.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}
* [[Roti]] ([[Indian subcontinent]])
* [[Rumali roti]] ([[Indian subcontinent]])
* [[Sheermal]] ([[Indian subcontinent]] and [[Iran]])
* [[Taftan (bread)|Taftan]] ([[Indian subcontinent]] and [[Iran]])

===Southeast Asia===
[[File:Piaya_flatbread_(Philippines)_01.jpg|thumb|''[[Piaya (food)|Piaya]]'' flavored with ''[[Dioscorea alata|ube]]'' (purple yam) and [[muscovado]] sugar]]

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

=== Americas ===
[[File:Balboa 20 bg 120603.jpg|thumb|Preparing [[tortilla]]s]]
[[File:At New York City 2024 119.jpg|thumb|A tomato and pesto flatbread in New York]]
* [[Arepa]] ([[Colombia]], [[Venezuela]]): flat, unleavened bread made of cornmeal
* [[Bammy]] ([[Jamaica]]): made from grated cassava root or cassava flour and salt
* [[Bannock (Indigenous American food)|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]] ([[North America]])
* [[Johnnycake]] ([[North America]] and [[Caribbean]])
* Native American Flatbread ([[North America]]): made from maize flour in a traditional style of early [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|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 [[Brayon]]s of northeast [[New Brunswick]].
* [[Pupusa]] ([[El Salvador]])
* [[Tortilla]] ([[Mexico]], [[Central America|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 (food)|Damper]] (traditionally)

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[List of ancient dishes|List of ancient dishes and foods]]
* [[List of baked goods]]
* [[List of breads]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==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. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150721163331/https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/201504/the.fabled.flatbreads.of.uzbekistan.htm "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.

{{Flatbreads}}
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[[Category:Unleavened breads| ]]
[[Category:Ancient dishes]]
[[Category:Flatbreads]]