Khubz (jubz)

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Khubz, also spelled jubz, is the round flatbread typical of Arab cooking in the Middle East, found in Egypt, the Gulf countries and the Levant. It is larger than pita and forms the everyday bread of much of the region.

History

The name comes from the Arabic word for bread, and the phrase khubz baladi, 'bread of here', emphasises its local and everyday character. The dough is worked in a manner similar to pizza dough and baked in a special oven with stone walls. As the dough sticks to the hot wall, it puffs with bubbles and cooks in a few moments; once it begins to brown, it is removed and ready to eat.

The spelling varies by language and transliteration system: jubz is the form recommended by Fundéu for Spanish, khubz is used in English and French, and ḫubz appears in academic transliteration. In Hijazi Arabic it is called ʿīš ʿarabī, which shows how each area keeps its own term for the same bread.

Culture

It is a table bread that accompanies dishes of pulses, meats, vegetables and sauces, and it serves both for dipping and for wrapping. Its simplicity and shape link it to daily bread and family meals. Regional variants differ in size, thickness and baking method, and it remains present across the region and in Arab communities in other countries.

Trivia

Local name. In Arabic it is also known as khubz baladi, 'bread of here', an expression that points to its everyday and local use.

Stone oven. It is baked stuck to the interior stone walls of a special oven, where the heat makes it puff up in a few moments.