Flatbread

Flatbread is a broad family of breads made from a rolled, thin dough and usually baked quickly at high heat. It is among the oldest and most widespread forms of bread, and it remains a staple in many cultures around the world.

History

Flatbreads are among the earliest foods made from cereal flours. Archaeological findings suggest that some versions were already eaten more than 14,000 years ago, and that in the Neolithic period they were common in many societies, some of them made from starches that did not come from cereals. The method was simple: flour and water were mixed, the dough was flattened and cooked on a hot surface or pressed against the walls of an oven. Wheat and barley, first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent, became the most common raw materials, and from there flatbreads spread toward Egypt, Sumer and the eastern Mediterranean.

In the Greco-Roman world and in much of later Europe, loaf breads came to be preferred over flatbreads. Flatbreads, however, never disappeared elsewhere, and they adapted to whatever grains, pulses or tubers were available. Urbanization in the modern era encouraged industrial production, which now includes frozen and ready-to-eat versions.

Flatbreads keep poorly: they lose their pliability within hours, so they are usually eaten fresh. Some varieties are dried so they can be stored for longer.

Culture

Flatbreads accompany meals in rural homes and city bakeries alike, serving as a utensil, a plate or a wrapper. In Northern Europe, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent they are used to scoop, mop up and enfold food. Tandoor-baked breads are eaten across much of Central and South Asia. In Latin America, maize tortillas form a core part of traditional cooking, while Spain has its own examples, such as the Catalan and Aragonese coca, the talo of northern Spain or the crespillo of the Region of Murcia.

The diversity is remarkable. Some are paper-thin and nearly translucent, others are several centimetres thick and close to loaf breads, and they can be sliced. They may be cooked on a griddle, in domed ovens, under embers or fried in oil. Some puff up as steam forms during baking, while others are pressed or stamped to prevent it.