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.
Flatbreads were amongst the earliestprocessed foods, and evidence of their production has been found at ancient sites inMesopotamia,ancient Egypt, and theIndus civilization. The origin of all flatbread baking systems are said to be from theFertile Crescent in West Asia, where they would subsequently spread to other regions of the world.[1]
In 2018, charred bread crumbs were found at aNatufian site called Shubayqa 1 inJordan (inHarrat ash Shaam, the Black Desert) dating to 12,400 BC, some 4,000 years before the start ofagriculture in the region. Analysis showed that they were probably from flatbread containing wildbarley,einkorn wheat,oats, andBolboschoenus glaucustubers (a kind of rush).[2][3]
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 wordtandır comes from the Akkadiantinuru, which becomestannur in Hebrew and Arabic,tandır in Turkish, andtandur in Urdu/Hindi. Of the hundreds of bread varieties known from cuneiform sources, unleavenedtinuru 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 freshtandır 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.[4][5]
Pinsa (Rome): wheat and other flours, such asbarley,rice,oats,millet,[6][7] andsoybean. It is left to leaven for 72 hours. Invented byCorrado Di Marco and launched in 2001.[8] Pinsa is oval-shaped and falls somewhere between focaccia and pizza.[9]
Pita (pitta, Arabic bread, Lebanese bread, kmaj) (the Mediterranean,Levant)
Touton (Newfoundland and Labrador): leavened frybread cooked in salted fatback pork and traditionally topped with molasses or berry preserves.
Native American Flatbread (North America): made from maize flour in a traditional style of earlyNative Americans; now topped with ground beef, vegetables, beans and cheese
^Parker, Bradley J. (2011). "Bread Ovens, Social Networks and Gendered Space: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Tandir Ovens in Southeastern Anatolia".American Antiquity.76 (4):603–627.doi:10.7183/0002-7316.76.4.603.JSTOR41331914.S2CID163470937.
^Takaoğlu, T. (2004). Ethnoarchaeological investigations in rural Anatolia. Cihangir, İstanbul: Ege Yayınları. (p7)
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.ISSN1065-772X.
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.ISSN1092-0447.
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.ISSN0091-018X.
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.
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