It seems most cultures have at least one version of a flatbread. A couple of weeks ago, I used lavash, an Armenian flatbread, to make a blue cheese and fig tart of sorts.
India has naan, roti, and dosas. Italy has focaccia, cecine, and
farinata, and Sardinia has pane
carasau. France has crêpes and socca.
In Africa and the Middle East, we find injera (Ethiopia), fatir
(Egypt), matzoh (Israel), and harcha (Morocco). Going north and eastward, we
get gözleme in Turkey, pitas in Greece, and lavash in Armenia.
In the Americas, we have pretty much adopted all of the above,
plus we have our own: good ol’ pancakes, maize tortillas from México, frybread
from our Native American communities, and arepas from Colombia, to name a very few.
One of the problems is that we often think any flatbread will do
for all occasions. But, somehow, a crêpe with Indian food just doesn’t cut it.
Nor does a tortilla work with crème de marrons topped with crème Chantilly. But
if we are unable to find teff to make authentic injera, we might find that a crêpe
will make do for your homemade Ethiopian meal.
The flatbreads I made today are based on a recipe from Mark
Bittman in the New York Times. He calls them Lebanese, but I simply call them “good.” He also said they are like naan. Yet they aren’t Indian, and they aren’t Lebanese.
But they are good. We serve them with Indian food, because they
are so much better than frozen naan. We serve them with anything we make that
is Middle Eastern or even South-eastern European.
Last night we had them with an Indian curry, and we will used the
leftovers today to make man’ousheh, a Lebanese specialty. The recipes for the
bread and the man’ousheh follow.
Happy grilling!
Good Flatbreads
Man’ousheh
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Lois B
September 24, 2016 at 3:12 pmI love making naan; I'll have to give this recipe a try!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 24, 2016 at 4:49 pmAnd I would love your recipe, Lois!
Marcelle
September 24, 2016 at 4:03 pmDavid, I enjoyed flat bread with a salad at a restaurant recently and I was thinking I needed to try my hand at some. So happy to have a good recipe now. Wonderful post!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 24, 2016 at 4:50 pmI may have had the heat a bit high for the photo batch, but they are really good and super easy. Hope you enjoy, Marcelle!
Valentina
September 24, 2016 at 6:04 pmI love the review of flat breads for each culture. And this Lebanese version does indeed look and sound GOOD! Love your title change. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 2:59 pmWell, Valentina, they are good flatbreads – why not call them what they are? 🙂
Liz (Good Things)
September 24, 2016 at 10:28 pmThey look yummy, David!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 2:59 pmThanks, Liz!
Paola
September 25, 2016 at 8:15 amThis looks fab – and those spoons are to die for
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:00 pmOh, Paola – Markipedia thinks I have a measuring spoon (and cup) addiction. He may be right…
Sippity Sup
September 25, 2016 at 1:38 pmThe flatbread is so multicultural! GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:00 pmYep, it is, greg!
Cheri Savory Spoon
September 25, 2016 at 2:12 pmThere is nothing like the taste of homemade flatbreads, love how you dressed them up here. You can tell how perfectly they turned out by the bubbles on the grill. Love these David!!!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:00 pmThanks, Cheri – and I have to say I love the charred bits. Some think they look overcooked, but that smoky flavor is wonderful!
Bob & Ursula
September 25, 2016 at 2:19 pmMany thanks. It's goin' on the grill tonight, along with Asian-style flank steak and fresh zucchini.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:01 pmThanks, Bob & Ursula – I am so glad to know you made them and liked them – your photo was perfect!
Unknown
September 25, 2016 at 5:26 pmThese look really good, David,and simply. I like Bob and Ursula's idea of Asian-style flank steak and zucchini on top!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:01 pmSusan – Bob and Ursula reported back and said they were fantastic with the steak. Maybe we should all try it!
Christina | Christina's Cucina
September 25, 2016 at 9:39 pmI love all the flatbreads I've tried, but haven't hit all the list on the ones you named. I love fried bread (pizze fritte) which doesn't get much attention in the US, but is so much better than the baked version! Have yet to try za'atar, but once again, sumac is on a list of items which are related to nuts so I can't have it around when my daughter is here. So many things to learn with allergies!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:03 pmDefinitely try the za'atar when your daughter isn't around – such an earthy taste! I know the ones I listed were only the tip of the iceberg – but it's a start. Haven't had pizze fritte but will keep my eyes open for it!
Anonymous
September 26, 2016 at 12:44 amI know from personal experience of at least one other culture that has "flatbrod." My Norwegian grandmother made giant ones on her wood burning cookstove. Later, people got electric "lefse" bakers for cooking "lefse" and "flatbrod." They are a bit different. Lefse has mashed potatoes in it and the flatbrod, as I remember it, had no potatoes and was mainly flour, sometimes rye flour, salt and minimal water. I don't remember if there was an leavening, probably not. The flatbrod was very large in diameter and when it was cooled it became crisp. One would break it into pieces to eat with lots of butter! The lefse was soft and round and cut into triangles and filled with butter, sugar or jam, or cheese, then rolled into a cigar shape. Some people think of lefse as a "Norwegian tortilla." I love it as a child when it was freshly made, of course!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:04 pmWow, Caterina – flatbrod and lefse sound great! They are added to my list of things I have to try. Pretty much, anything smeared with butter gets a high grade in my book!
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
September 27, 2016 at 1:21 pmI've done pita bread before–but what a masterful idea to grill these. I don't like to air condition so haven't baked anything bread-like in months. Need to remember this for next summer.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 27, 2016 at 3:05 pmInger – we also use the grill to finish baking partially baked loaves of bread from Trader Joe. (When I am too lazy to make my own – or forgot to set a sponge in the morning). We love our grill!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
September 27, 2016 at 6:24 pmDavid, oh, so you are grilling after all? Not too hot anymore – good, because your "Good Flatbread" looks picture perfect. I have read a lot of good comments about Mark Bittman´s recipes and some members of our French Fridays with Dorie group also swore by some of his recipes. We baked Flatbread in our Cottage Cooking Club group from a Whittingstall recipe and I enjoyed making that recipe – I should really make some flatbread for the family again soon.
Herzliche Grüße aus dem sehr spätsommerlichen Bonn -das Wetter ist zur Zeit ein Träumchen.
Hope you are feeling better!!! 🙂
Andrea
Cocoa & Lavender
September 30, 2016 at 2:15 pmHalloo, Andrea. I have actually been grilling all summer – it keeps the kitchen cooler, yet doesn't stop me from baking pies and cakes! 🙂 Thanks fro your thoughts – I am feeling much better!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
September 29, 2016 at 4:52 pmDavid, I like all sorts of flatbreads but the only ones I make with any regularity are pits and flour tortillas. Was thinking I needed to make some roti or naan, but might just make this one first!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 30, 2016 at 2:16 pmRoti and Naan are fun to make, and so good. Let me know if you find "the perfect recipe."
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
September 29, 2016 at 4:52 pmPS Meant to type pitas, but my fingernails are getting too long for typing! 😀
Cocoa & Lavender
September 30, 2016 at 2:16 pmThat happens to me, too. 🙂
All That I'm Eating
September 30, 2016 at 10:13 amI love making my own flatbreads, the smell is amazing. You've got some great charring lines on yours!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 30, 2016 at 2:17 pmCaroline – I love the charred bits. Used to hate them as a kid, but now they are the best part!
ChgoJohn
October 5, 2016 at 1:41 amWe make a flat bread, too, and it's called pieda. Once you've tasted home-made, nothing bought in a store can compare. That's certainly the case here, David, and grilling them is such a great idea. Mark Bittman. Have you ever prepared a recipe of his that fell short? I've yet to come across one and I'm beginning to think there are none. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
October 6, 2016 at 3:52 amYou are right, John, and I never thought if it – I have never had one of Mark Bittman's recipes fail on me! Curious about the pieda – a new flatbread to me, and will check it out!