A flatbread is a bread made with flour;

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...

yogurt Yogurt (; , from tr, yoğurt, also spelled yoghurt, yogourt or yoghourt) is a food produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make yogurt are known as ''yogurt cultures''. Fermentation of sugars in the milk by these bac ...

, or other liquid; and

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...

, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavenin ...

. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and

pita bread Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, also ...

. Flatbreads range from below one millimeter to a few centimeters thick so that they can be easily eaten without being sliced. They can be baked in an oven, fried in hot oil, grilled over hot coals, cooked on a hot pan,

tava A tava(h) / tawa(h) (mainly on the Indian subcontinent), saj (in Arabic), sac (in Turkish) and other variations and combinations thereof, is a metal-made cooking utensil. The tawa is round and can be flat, but more commonly has a curved prof ...

comal COMAL (''Common Algorithmic Language'') is a computer programming language developed in Denmark by Børge R. Christensen and Benedict Løfstedt and originally released in 1975. COMAL was one of the few structured programming languages that was a ...

, or metal griddle, and eaten fresh or packaged and frozen for later use.

History

Flatbreads were amongst the earliest processed foods, and evidence of their production has been found at ancient sites in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and the Indus civilization. In 2018, charred bread crumbs were found at a

Natufian The Natufian culture () is a Late Epipaleolithic archaeological culture of the Levant, dating to around 15,000 to 11,500 years ago. The culture was unusual in that it supported a sedentary or semi-sedentary population even before the introducti ...

site called Shubayqa 1 in

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

(in Harrat ash Shaam, the Black Desert) dating to 12,400 BC, some 4,000 years before the start of

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

in the region. Analysis showed that they were probably from flatbread containing wild

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

einkorn wheat Einkorn wheat (from German ''Einkorn'', literally "single grain") can refer either to a wild species of wheat (''Triticum'') or to its domesticated form. The wild form is '' T. boeoticum'' (syn. ''T. m.'' ssp. ''boeoticum''), the domesticated ...

oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human co ...

, and ''

Bolboschoenus ''Bolboschoenus'' is a genus of plants in the sedge family, of nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Epipaleolithic and Neolithic peoples used ground root tubers of these plants to make the first breads. ; Accepted species * ''Bolboschoenus caldw ...

glaucus''

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure used as storage organs for nutrients in some plants. They are used for the plant's perennation (survival of the winter or dry months), to provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growin ...

s (a kind of rush). Primitive clay ovens (''tandir'') used to bake unleavened flatbread were common in Anatolia during the Seljuk and Ottoman eras, and have been found at archaeological sites distributed across the Middle East. The word ''tandır'' comes from the Akkadian ''tinuru'', which becomes ''tannur'' in Hebrew and Arabic, ''tandır'' in Turkish, and ''tandur'' in Urdu/Hindi. Of the hundreds of bread varieties known from cuneiform sources, unleavened ''tinuru'' bread was made by adhering bread to the side walls of a heated cylindrical oven. This type of bread is still central to rural food culture in this part of the world, reflected by the local folklore, where a young man and woman sharing fresh ''tandır'' bread is a symbol of young love, however, the culture of traditional bread baking is changing with younger generations, especially with those who reside in towns showing preference for modern conveniences.

List of flatbreads

Europe

Bannock Bannock may mean: * Bannock (food), a kind of bread, cooked on a stone or griddle * Bannock (Indigenous American), various types of bread, usually prepared by pan-frying * Bannock people, a Native American people of what is now southeastern Oregon ...

(

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

): a

quick bread Quick bread is any bread leavened with a chemical leavening agent rather than a biological one like yeast or sourdough starter. An advantage of quick breads is their ability to be prepared quickly and reliably, without requiring the time-consumin ...

baked from grain *

Blini A blini (sometimes spelled bliny) ( pl., diminutive: блинчики, ''blinchiki'', dialectal, diminutive: млинчики, ''mlynchiki'') or, sometimes, blin (more accurate as a single form of the noun), is a Russian and more broadly Eastern ...

(

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

) *

Bolo do caco Bolo do caco is a circular Madeiran flatbread, shaped like a cake and thus called ''bolo'' ( Portuguese for 'cake'). It is traditionally cooked on a ''caco'', a flat basalt stone slab. The bread is usually served with garlic butter, or eaten as ...

( Madeira,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

) * Borlengo (

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) *

Farl A farl is any of various quadrant-shaped flatbreads and cakes, traditionally made by cutting a round into four pieces. In Ulster, the term generally refers to soda bread (soda farls) and, less commonly, potato bread (potato farls), which are ...

(

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

) * Flammkuchen/

Tarte flambée Flammekueche ( Alsatian; Standard German: ''Flammkuchen''), or tarte flambée ( French), is a speciality of the region of Alsace, German-speaking Moselle, Baden and the Palatinate (region), Palatinate. It is composed of bread dough rolled out v ...

(

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

): thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle and covered with onions and lardons *

Flatbrød Flatbrød (literally "flat-bread") is a traditional Norwegian unleavened bread which is usually eaten with fish, salted meats and soups. Originally it was the staple food of Norwegian farmers, shepherds and peasants. Flat bread is dry and free ...

(

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

barley flour Barley flour is a flour prepared from dried and ground barley. Barley flour is used to prepare barley bread and other breads, such as flat bread and yeast breads. There are two general types of barley flour: coarse and fine. Barley groats are ...

, salt and water, or potato, flour and salt, or peas flour and salt. *

Flatkaka Flatkaka (, lit. "flat cake") or flatbrauð (, lit. "flat bread") is an Cuisine of Iceland, Icelandic unleavened rye bread, rye flatbread. ''Flatkaka'' is soft, round, thin and dark with a characteristic pattern from the pan. Traditionally, ''fla ...

(

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

): rye flatbread *

Focaccia Focaccia ( , , ; lij, fugassa ; nap, label= Barese, fecazze ) is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread, similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called ("white pizza"). Focaccia can be served as a side dish or as san ...

(

) * Ftira (

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

) * Hoggan (

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

): made from

flour containing pieces of pork, and potato * Hönökaka ( Bohuslän): made from wheatmeal. The name is the commercial variant of the traditional name "bagebröd", meaning "baked bread". * Lagana (

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

) *

Shotis Puri Shotis puri or simply shoti ( ka, შოთის პური) is a type of traditional Georgian bread, made of white flour and shaped like a canoe. Shoti is baked in a specific bakery called ''tone'' or ''torne/turne'' (old Georgian). The word i ...

(

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

) *

Tonis puri Tonis puri ( ka, თონის პური) is a type of Georgian bread, baked in a specific oven called a ''tone'' or ''torne''. The word is cognate with tandoor. The bread is served as any other bread, but it tends to be more popular on spe ...

(

) *

Lángos Lángos () is a typical Hungarian food. Today it is a deep fried flatbread, but in the past it was made of the last bits of the bread-dough and baked at the front of the brick or clay oven, to be served hot as the breakfast of the bread-baking da ...

(

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

) *

Lefse Lefse () is a traditional soft Norwegian flatbread. It is made with flour, can include riced potatoes, and includes butter, and milk, cream, or lard. It is cooked on a large, flat griddle. Special tools are used to prepare lefse, including a p ...

(

) *

Tandyr nan ''Tandyr nan'' is a type of Central Asian bread. Names * Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik: ''nan'' (), ''tandyr nan'' () * Turkmen: * Uyghur: ''nan'' (), ''tonur nan'' () * Uzbekistan: , * Chinese: ''náng'' () * Russian: ''lepyoshka'' () Vari ...

(

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

) *

Oatcake An oatcake is a type of flatbread similar to a cracker or biscuit, or in some versions takes the form of a pancake. They are prepared with oatmeal as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include plain or wholemeal flour as well. Oatca ...

(

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

) *

Pane carasau ''Pane carasau'' (, ; "toasted bread" in Sardinian language, from the past participle of the Sardinian verb "to toast", referring to the crust) is a traditional flatbread from Sardinia. It is called in Italian, meaning " sheet music", in refe ...

(

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

) *

Piadina ''Piadina'' or ''piada'' is a thin Italian flatbread, typically prepared in the Romagna historical region (Forlì, Cesena, Ravenna and Rimini). It is usually made with white flour, lard or olive oil, salt and water. The dough was tradit ...

(

): white flour, lard (or olive oil), salt and water * Pinsa (

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

): wheat and other flours, such as

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

oat The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human con ...

s, and millet * Pita (

) * Pită/ Lipie/ Turtă (

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

) *

Pissaladière Pissaladière (, , ; oc, label= Niçard, pissaladiera or ; lij, piscialandrea ) is a dish of flatbread with toppings in the cuisines of Liguria (especially Genoa) and Nice. It is often compared to pizza. The dough is usually a bread dough thic ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

) * Pizza (

) * Podpłomyk (

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

) * Posúch (

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

) * Părlenka (

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

) * Rieska (

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

) *

Somun Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, also ...

and

Lepina Pita ( or ) or pitta (British English), is a family of yeast-leavened round flatbreads baked from wheat flour, common in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, also ...

(Bosnia and Herzegovina) * Spianata sarda (

) * Staffordshire oatcake (England) * Tigella (

) * Torta (Spain) * Torta al testo (Umbria,

) * Torta de Gazpacho (Spain) * Tunnbröd (Sweden): any combination of wheat, barley and rye

Middle East and Africa

* Barbari bread, Barbari (Iran) * Bataw (bread), Bataw (Egypt) * Bazlama (Turkey): made from wheat flour, water, and salt * Chapati (Swahili coast, Uganda) * Eish merahrah (Egypt): made with 5–10% ground fenugreek seeds and maize * Gözleme (Turkey): folded over a savoury filling and fried on a griddle
Gurassa
(Sudan) * Harcha (Morocco): fried buttery bread made of semolina * Injera (Horn of Africa): teff flour * Khebz (Levant) * Khubz (Arabian Peninsula) * Khubz Asmr (Saudi Arabia) (Arabian Peninsula): made of wholemeal flour, yeast, and salt * Ash cake, Khubz al-Jamri (Arabia, Yemen, Northern Yemen): ash cake made by burying dough in hot ashes and embers. * Kisra, (Sudan) * Lahoh (Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen) * Lavash (Turkey and Armenia) * Moroccan Frena * Lebanese Bread (Lebanon): white flour, dried yeast, sugar, salt and water * Malooga (Yemen): water, yeast, salt and flour * Markook shrek, Markook (Levant) * Matnakash (Armenia) * Matzo (Jewish): white plain flour and water * Khubz mulawah, Mulawah (Yemen) * Msemen, M'lawi (Tunisia): water, olive oil, semolina and flour * Murr (Israel) * Muufo (Somalia) * Ngome (bread), Ngome (Mali): millet, water and vegetable oil * Pita (Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and Middle East) * Pogača (Balkans and Turkey) * Sabaayad (Somalia and Djibouti) * Saj bread (Lebanon, Turkey, Israel) * Sangak (Iran) * Taftan (bread), Taftan (Iran) * Saj bread, Yufka (Turkey): wheat flour, water and salt * Taboon bread, (Lebanon)

Central Asia

* Afghan bread or "Nan" (Afghanistan) * Bolani (Afghanistan): a vegetarian flat-bread dish * Obi Non (Afghanistan and Uzbekistan) * Shelpek (Kazakhstan) * Tandoor-nan (Central Asia) * Tapansha, Taba nan (Kazakhstan)

East Asia

* Bindaeddeok (Korea): pancake made from mung bean flour * Bing (Chinese flatbread), Bing (China) :* Cōng yóu bǐng, Green onion pancake (China): made with oil and minced scallions (green onions) :* Laobing (China) :* Sanchuisanda (China) :* Shaobing (China) * Guokui (China): stuffed flatbread made from wheat

South Asia

* Aloo paratha (India and Pakistan) * Akki rotti (India) * Appam (India): pancake made from fermented rice batter and coconut milk * Bakarkhani (Bangladesh) * Bhakri (India): made with water and millet flour * Bhatura (Indian subcontinent): made with white flour, yogurt, ghee (or oil), and yeast * Chapati (Indian subcontinent): made from atta flour (whole grain durum wheat), water and salt * Chili parotha (India) * Chikkolee (India) * Dhebra (India) * Dosa (food), Dosa (India): batter made from rice and black gram fried on a griddle * Gobi paratha (India and Pakistan) * Jolada rotti (India) * Kalai roti (Bangladesh) * Kaak (Pakistan) * Kachori (Indian subcontinent) * Kothu parotta (India) * Kulcha (Indian subcontinent) * Luchi (India and Bangladesh): fine maida flour with water and a spoonful of ghee * Makki di roti (India and Pakistan) * Mughlai paratha (India and Bangladesh) * Pathiri (India): is a traditional roti that originated from Malabar cuisine. * Naan (Indian subcontinent and

): leavened with yeast, unlike Roti bread :* Cheese Naan (Indian subcontinent): A Naan bread filled with cheeses and local seasoning :* Nutella Naan/Paratha (Indian subcontinent): A Naan bread filled with Nutella or a paratha with similar spread * Paratha (Indian subcontinent) * Parotta (India and Sri Lanka) * Pesarattu (India): pancake made from green gram (Mung) batter * Phulka (Indian subcontinent): made from whole wheat flour, water and salt. It is like a baked variety of Puri. * Puran Poli, Poli (India): made from whole wheat flour, water and salt. It is folded and layered round flat bread. * Roti#Sri Lanka, Pol roti (Sri Lanka): made from scraped coconut and wheat or kurakkan flour, with green chillis and onion * Puri (food), Puri (Indian subcontinent): prepared from dough of atta and salt * Ragi rotti (India and Sri Lanka) * Roast paan (Sri Lanka): bread mixture baked in a flat mold, producing, literally, a 'flat' bread. * Roti (Indian subcontinent) * Rumali roti (Indian subcontinent) * Sheermal (Indian subcontinent and Iran) * Taftan (bread), Taftan (Indian subcontinent and Iran)

Southeast Asia

* Aparon (Philippines) * Bánh (Vietnam) * Kabkab (Philippines) * Khanom buang (Thailand): rice flour * Kiping (Philippines) * Piaya (food), Piaya (Philippines) * Roti prata (Singapore) * Roti canai (Indonesia and Malaysia) * Roti tissue (Indonesia and Malaysia)

Americas

* Arepa (Colombia, Venezuela): flat, unleavened patty made of cornmeal * Bammy (Jamaica): made from grated cassava root or cassava flour and salt * Bannock (food): a variety of flat quick bread or any large, round article baked or cooked from grain * Beiju (Brazil): made from tapioca * Casabe (South America, Caribbean): made from bitter cassava root * Frybread (United States) * Native American Flatbread (North America): made from maize flour in a traditional style of early Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Native Americans; now topped with ground beef, vegetables, beans and cheese * Pan de semita (Mexico) * Piki (Hopi): made very thin from blue corn and baked on a hot flat stone * Pupusa (El Salvador) * Johnnycake (North America and Caribbean) * Tortilla (Mexico, Central America, Central and South America): either as corn tortilla or flour tortilla * Tortilla de Rescoldo (Chile): wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire