The Oldest Kind of Bread - The Flatbread
- stacn003
- Nov 9, 2020
- 2 min read
When those of us who grew up in western households hear the word “bread”, we’d typically imagine a square loaf of fluffy white sandwich bread.
However, in countries across the Middle East and Asia, typical, everyday bread elicits a different image – a crisp, chewy, filling flatbread.
In 2018, The Independent reported that archaeologists had discovered what appeared to be the birth of sophisticated cooking.
What they found at the stone age site in the Middle East were the remnants of 14,400-year-old flatbread – making it the oldest form of bread currently known to man.
I have researched some of the many variations of flatbreads, and these are just some of the many I discovered:
1.) Bazlama
Bazlama is a baked, Turkish flatbread which is traditionally served warm after being cooked in an outdoor oven.
Its main ingredients are flour, water, yeast, salt, yeast and Greek yoghurt, and the bread is flipped regularly while baking.
Balzama is best served dipped in butter or olive oil.
2.) Khubz Tannour
Khubz Tannour is a flatbread which originates from Iraq, and means “water bread”, stemming from the absence of oil in the bread’s composition.
The traditional method of cooking Khubz Tannour requires the use of a long, cylindrical clay oven called a Tannour.
This bread is known for its versatility, and is enjoyed simply with hummus or baba ghanouj, or stuffed with lamb and vegetables.
3.) Chapati
This nutritious flatbread is also commonly known as “Roti” and for many is an unchallengeable part of an Indian diet.
Made with whole wheat flour, Chapati has a long list of health benefits, and is best served alongside dals, dry vegetables and meats.
Chapati is full of complex carbohydrates and soluble fibre, which both fill you with energy and are good for digestion.
The list above is a far cry from the extent of flatbreads, however, does provide some insight into just how much of a staple these breads are in some diets.
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