Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe
flatbread introThe reason we love flatbreads is plain and simple: they’re plain and simple. Take flour, water and salt, sometimes a little yeast. Create dough, flatten, bake. In honour of this timeless staple, we’ve gathered some of the world’s best flatbread varieties, to be eaten alone or used as vehicles for more deliciousness on top. [Photo: Quentin Curtis Bacon]
0/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
injeraInjera: In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this pancake-like flatbread is used as a utensil for scooping up an array of meat and vegetable stews. Injera is made with fermented ground teff flour, giving the end result its characteristic spongy texture and slight sourness. Perhaps an acquired taste at first, but in combination with addictively spicy wat stews, you’ll find yourself unable to stop eating. Get the recipe. [Photo: SarahTZ/Flickr]
1/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
arepaArepa: A staple in Venezuela and Colombia, arepas are a beloved maize flatbread with a crunchy crust and warm, slightly moist centre. Before the introduction of pre-cooked cornmeal, arepas were labour-intensive, as the corn needed to first be soaked, peeled and ground. Arepas can be served plain or stuffed with cheese, beef, black beans and other enticing fillings. Get the classic Venezuelan recipe by Adriana Lopez, founder of the California-based Pica Pica. [Photo: Quentin Curtis Bacon]
2/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
pitaPita: The flatbread of flatbreads is famous for its appearance in Greek cuisine as a carb blanket for souvlaki or gyros, but many countries in the Middle East (where the pita originated) also make use of the handy pouch that results when the bread puffs in an extremely hot oven. It’s stuffed with goodies from falafel to shawarma, or just used to spoon up loads of hummus. Get the recipe [Photo: Michelle Tribe/Flickr]
3/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
torta al testoTorta Al Testo: In Roman times, the ‘testum’ was a thick terracotta disk on which a simple bread of water, flour, olive oil and salt was cooked over hot coals. This ancient bread is still served in the central Italian region of Umbria, now often cooked on cast-iron griddles. A piece of ‘torta’ is perfect to sop up hearty Umbrian meat stews, and is also irresistible stuffed with prosciutto or sautéed leafy greens. Get the recipe. [Photo: Michela Simoncini/Flickr]
4/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
rotiRumali Roti: The Indian subcontinent is home to many flatbread varieties, most famously the puffy naan and the unleavened roti – aka the daily ‘utensil’ for consuming curries. Our favourite type is the rumali roti, or ‘handkerchief roti’, so named because the dough, after being spread out thinly and cooked atop a hot convex griddle, is then folded like a handkerchief. [Photo: Vijay Patil/Flickr]
5/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
naanPeshwari Naan: Like roti, naans also know numerous local variations. We just love the pillowy leavened flatbread from the tandoor oven, and Peshwari naan is especially lush, slightly sweet and filled with nuts, raisins and sometimes coconut. With a little melted ghee or butter brushed on, it makes for amazing comfort food, especially in combination with your favourite spicy curry. Get the recipe. [Photo: Sean MacEntee/Flickr]
6/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
tunnbrodMjukt Tunnbröd: In Sweden, this ‘soft thin bread’ has become popular as a fast food wrap, stuffed with hot dogs and mashed potatoes. Tunnbröd originated in the north, and was traditionally created by experienced housewives at communal ovens and made with barley, milk and various seeds, such as fennel. Magnus Nilsson, head chef of the acclaimed Fäviken restaurant, grew up making them with his family. See his recipe. [Photo: Martin Lindstrom/Flickr]
7/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
pane carasauPane Carasau: Also called ‘carta di musica’ (music sheet), Pane Carasau is a paper-thin bread from the island of Sardinia that achieves its extremely thin, crispy form through a labour-intensive double-baking process. This way it could be kept for months, ideal for sheepherders who would spend long stretches of time in the mountains. Watch it being made. [Photo: Rowena/Flickr]
8/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
mannishManakish (or Mana’eesh): It’s not hard to see why manakish is a favourite Levantine breakfast treat – carb-rich, oily, herby and zesty all at once. After the dough is rolled out, little dents are pressed in so that toppings like cheese, meat or za’atar (olive oil mixed with thyme, sesame seeds and sumac) can better stick to it. Get the recipe. [Photo: Drew Dies/Flickr]
9/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
tortillaTortilla: No list of great flatbreads is complete without the trusty Mexican tortilla. Whether made from corn or wheat flour, it’s one of the handiest edible food transportation tools in the world. Tortillas are still made fresh daily in many Mexican homes, and leftovers often get transformed into something delicious as well – a lovely soup, for instance, as in this recipe. [Photo: Eli Duke/Flickr]
10/11
Food
The World Is Flat: Delicious Flatbreads From Around The Globe.
flatbread poll11/11
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.