Pita

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For other uses, see Pita (disambiguation).

Pita fried on an outdoor fire.

Pita (also called pitta or pita bread; Arabic: كماج (Kmaj) or خبز عربي (Arab Bread), Cyrillic: пита, Greek: πίτα, Hebrew: פִּתָּה or פיתה (Pita), Romanian: pită, Turkish: pide bread) is a round, 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. The original pita is cooked flat without any rising. This type, known as the Greek pita, is the most well known and universal type; others include the souvlaki, kebabs, and Indian pitas.

1 Etymology
2 Eating habits
3 Variations
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] 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 two 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. 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 origin with pizza (Italian, "pie").

[edit] 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 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 pita (wuk nuk) pockets (which have pockets).

In Turkey, pita (called pide) is used to make a pizza-like food called lahmacun. Pide dough is shaped like a canoe and topped with meats, vegetables, and sometimes egg, then cooked in an oven.

In Britain, the word "pita" is sometimes loosely used for naan or Arabic khubz, since they are similar in function and appearance.

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 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 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.

[edit] Variations

The Lebanese pita 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.