Everything about Pita Bread totally explained
Pita (also called and more commonly known as
pitta or
pita bread and pronounced "pitta" in Greek ) is an often round, brown,
wheat flatbread made with
yeast.
Similar to other double-layered
flat or pocket breads, pita is traditional in many
Middle Eastern and
Mediterranean cuisines. It is prevalent from
North Africa through the
Levant and the
Arabian Peninsula to
India and
Afghanistan, coinciding with the spread of the
Hellenistic world.
In
Greek cuisine, pita may refer to thicker breads made with
yeast, for example
souvlaki pita. It may also refer to foods using many layers of dough of thickness less than 1mm, usually with many different ingredients in between, forming savoury pies such as
tyropita and
spanakopita or sweet pies such as
baclava.
The Indian flatbread form of
roti is sometimes referred to as "Indian pita".
Etymology
According to the
Oxford English Dictionary, the first mention of the word in English was in 1951, with references to
Balkan,
Greek, and especially
Arab cuisine in the next three decades. The
American Heritage Dictionary traces the word's origin to modern Greek for "pie," "cake," or "bread";
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary attributes it to the Hebrew
פת (
pat), for "loaf" or "morsel". The word
pita (as פיתא) exists in the
Aramaic of the
Babylonian Talmud, referring to bread in general. In
Serbian it means
pie in general. Another possible etymology is from a
Romanian archaic word for bread,
pită. An alternative etymology traces the word to a cognate for pine pitch, which forms flat layers that may resemble pita bread, which in turn may share an etymological origin with
pizza (Italian for "pie").
The word spread to Southern
Italy as the name of a thin bread. In Northern Italian dialects
pita became
pizza, now known primarily as the bearer of savoury toppings but essentially still a flat bread. Indeed in some parts of southern Italy, there are pastries called Pita, which are filled with spicy fruit and nuts. Thus confirming the view that the word Pizza and Pita would have been interchangeable had it not been for the ultimate success of the neapolitan pizza in claiming the word.
Origin
Pita is now the western name for the Saudi Arabian bread called
khubz (ordinary bread), other breads of Arab, Egyptian, or Syrian origin, or
kumaj (a Turkish loanword properly meaning a bread cooked in ashes), all baked in a brick oven. It is slightly leavened wheat bread, flat, either round or oval, and variable in size. Early Arab cookery texts don't refer to
khubz, since it was bought from specialists, not made in the home. However, it's safe to assume that its history extends far into antiquity, since flatbreads in general, whether leavened or not, are among the most ancient breads, needing no oven or even utensil for their baking. However the first signs of flat breads occur in and around
Amorite Damascus. In the early centuries of our era, the traditional
Greek word for a thin flat bread or cake,
plakous, had become the name of a thicker cake.
Preparation
For the
Greek souvlaki pita: Using wheat flour, water, some yeast and a tint of salt one prepares the dough. After some time, so that the yeast acts, the dough rises. Then this is shaped in a thin layer, in the dimensions and thickness required. This thin dough is then cooked in a stone floor oven, for the traditional Greek recipe, or over a thin, preferably convex, metal sheet over a fire, for the traditional Arab recipe.
For the layered pita: as above, without the usage of yeast, making a very thin layer of dough.
A good tip when heating a pita bread is to sprinkle water on either side. This stops the bread splitting
Eating habits
Pita is used to scoop sauces or dips such as
hummus and to wrap
kebabs,
gyros or
falafel in the manner of
sandwiches. Most pita breads are
baked at high temperatures (700°
F or 370°
C), causing the flattened rounds of
dough to puff up dramatically. When removed from the
oven the layers of baked dough remain separated inside the deflated pita, which allows the bread to be opened into pockets, creating a space for use in various dishes.
In modern history (in the 1970s) much of pita's popularity in the Western world is due to this pocket. Instead of using pita to scoop foods, the pocket is filled with various ingredients to form a sandwich. These are sometimes called "pita pockets" or "pocket pitas". Certain manufacturers have taken steps in packaging to clarify the difference between pita (which has no pocket, and historically meant "flat") and pita pockets (which have pockets).
In
Turkey, pita (called
pide) typically has a soft, chewy texture and is pocketless. The pizza-like food called
lahmacun is made with oval-shaped pieces of pide dough that are topped with finely chopped meat and herbs before baking.
In
Greece, pita is eaten with dips such as
tzatziki. Moreover it's part of the quintessential Greek fast food
pita-souvlaki
and
pita-gyros. These types of sandwiches involve the wrapping of souvlaki or gyros with tzatziki, tomatoes,
french fries, and condiments into a pita bread.
In the
Balkans pita most often refers to a thin filo layered dish often containing cottage cheese, meat or spinach. Throughout much of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Macadeonia, and Croatia pita is a street food that's also referred to as burek. Stuffed pita is part of national cuisine of
Bosnia and Herzegovina but it's popular in other parts of
ex-Yugoslavia.
In Bulgarian cuisine, pita is served on special occasions. Its preparation and consumption have ritual meaning. For example, on the night before Christmas Eve, (
Bulgarian:
Бъдни вечер - badni vecher) each housewife prepares a pita and decorates it with symbols to bring fertility to the cattle and a rich harvest from the fields, as well as prosperity to each member of the household. She hides a nickel in it, and it's believed that whoever finds it in their piece will be the healthiest and the wealthiest of the family. Prior to marriage, a bride's future mother-in-law prepares a pita for the newlyweds and sifts the flour seven times, so that the pita will be soft as their future life together. Pita is also prepared when dear guests are expected. A traditional welcome in Bulgaria includes pita and salt or honey. The meaning of this ritual can be found in the expression "to welcome someone with
bread and salt" (since bread is an important part of
Bulgarian cuisine - and as a Bulgarian proverb says, "no one is bigger than bread", and the salt is the basic ingredient that gives flavour to every meal). This is how the hosts show that the guests are desired and that they wish to share their meal with them.
In Israeli and Palestinian cuisine, it's the custom to eat almost everything in a Pita.
Falafel, lamb or chicken
shwarma and Kabab, omelets such as
shakshouka (eggs and tomatoes) and
hummus and other salads in a pita. This pita, however, is slightly thicker and smaller than the Lebanese version, and tends to be a mixture of whole and white wheats. This isn't to be mistaken for Khubiz Saj, used to make the famous Palestinian dish
Musakhan (and also often used in making shwarma).
Variations
The Lebanese pita, or Kmaj, is similar to the Cyprus pita except that the Lebanese pita is 2" longer in elongation. Agio Basilo pita ('
Saint Basil bread', or
Vasilopita) is like a cake or tart, with a single layer of sponge cake or bread that's typically circular and flat. While
Vasilopita is a Byzantine Christian tradition, similar breads are cooked for winter festivals by other cultures in the region.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pita Bread'.
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