Pita

For other uses, see Pita (disambiguation).

Pita topped with cucumber, hummus, and lamb.

Pita fried on an outdoor fire.

Pitta (also called pita 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, pitta 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. The original pitta is cooked flat without any rising. This type, known as the Greek pita, is the most well known and universal type; others include Indian pitas.

Etymology

Pita also came from the word meaning vagina in portuguese.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 pitta bread, which in turn may share an origin with pizza (Italian, "pie").

The western name for the Arab bread called khubz adi (ordinary bread) or names meaning Arab, Egyptian, Syrian bread or kumaj (a Turkish loanword properly meaning a bread cooked in ashes), baked in a brick bread oven. It is slightly leavened wheat bread, flat, either round or oval, and variable in size... 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.

The word spread to Southern Italy as the name of a thin bread. In Northern Italian dialects pitta became pizza, now known primarily as the bearer of savoury toppings but essentially still a flat bread...Early Arab cookery texts do not refer to khubz, since it was bought from specialists, not made in the home. However, it is 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.

Eating habits

Pita is used to scoop sauces or dips such as hummus and to wrap sandwiches like kebabs, gyros or falafel. 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 pitta, 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 pitta'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 "pitta pockets" or "pocket pittas". Certain manufacturers have taken steps in packaging to clarify the difference between pitta (which has no pocket, and historically meant "flat") and pitta pockets (which have pockets).

In Turkey, pitta (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, pitta is eaten with dips such as tzatziki. Moreover it is part of the quintessential Greek fast food pitta-souvlaki and pitta-gyros. These types of sandwiches involve the wrapping of souvlaki or gyros with tzatziki, tomatoes, french fries, and condiments into a pitta bread.

In Bulgarian cuisine, pitta 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 is 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 pitta will be soft as their future life together. Pitta 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 Palestinian cuisine, it is costumed to eat almost everything in a Pita. falafel, lamb or chicken shwarma and Kabab, omlets such as shakshooka (eggs and tomatoes) and hummus and other salads in a pita. The Palestinian "pita" however is slightly thicker and smaller than the Lebanese version, and tends to be a mixture of whole and white wheats. This is not to be mistaken for Khubiz Saj, used to make the famous Palestinian dish Musakhan (and also often used in making shawerma).

Variations

The Lebanese pita, or Kmaj, is similar to the Cyprus pita except that the Lebanese pita is 2" longer in elongation. The pita bread of the baked type such as the Agio Basilo pita is a Byzantine Christian tradition shared by all nations that once were part of the Empire, again reinforcing the Hellenistic Christian culture that spread the pita. Pita bread or Basilo pita is like a cake or tart, with a single layer of sponge cake or bread that is typically circular and flat.

See also

• Lafa
• Tortilla
• Blintz
• Crêpe
• Pancake
• Chapati
• Piadina

External links

Recipe for pita bread and photos of pita baking