Pita

For other uses, see Pita (disambiguation).

Pita fried on an outdoor fire.

Pita (also called pitta or pita bread or Turkish pide bread, Cyrillic пита, Arabic كماج Kmaj) is a round flat wheat bread made with yeast. Pita and other flat or pocket bread is traditional in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines from North Africa through the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula to India and Afghanistan and is believed to have originated in Ancient Syria. It is also commonly called Lebanese, Syrian or Arabic bread, especially in the Arab world, Israel, and communities with Arab immigrant populations.

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 pat, for "loaf" or "morsel." An alternative etymology traces the word to a cognate for pine pitch, which form flat layers that may resemble pita bread, and may thereby share an origin with pizza (Italian, "pie").

Eating habits

Pita is used to scoop sauces or dips such as hummus and to wrap sandwiches such as kebabs, gyros or falafel. Most pita breads are baked at high temperatures (+700°F) causing the flattened rounds of dough to puff up dramatically. Once removed from the oven, the baked dough remains separated inside the deflated pita. This allows pita bread to be sliced and opened into pockets, creating a space for various ingredients to be stuffed inside.

In Turkey, pita (called pide) is used to make a pizza-like food similar to Lahmacun. Pide dough is shaped like a canoe and topped with meats, vegetables, and sometimes egg, then cooked in a fire-oven. It is occasionally eaten with raw greens. During Ramadan, a form of pide is sold in place of traditional Turkish bread; it is topped with caraway seeds.

In modern history (in the 1970s), much of pita's popularity in the West is due to this pocket. Instead of using pita to scoop foods, the pocket is filled with various sandwich fixings. 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).

For instance, Kangaroo Brands, Inc., a Milwaukee-based US pita manufacturer, has renamed all products on their package to correctly identify which breads contain pockets and which are flat. Certain innovations have also helped educate consumers. In 1987, Kangaroo was the first company world-wide to pre-slice pita pockets in equal halves, so that consumers could easily separate the layers. Further innovations led to the pre-opened pockets, a Kangaroo-patented process that keeps the pockets open, much like taco shells.

In the United States, the term "pita" is also used to encompass burrito or sandwich like wraps, which can contain any number of ingredients (often chicken, gyro meat, assorted vegetables, tzatziki sauce, and tabouli). The use of this term owes partially to the "Pita's" chain of restaurants, now known as "Republic of Pita". These pita sandwiches are often marketed as a healthier alternative to conventional fast food.

In some circles, "pita" is interchangeable with naan, as they serve similar functions and are similar in appearance.

Pita in Bulgarian cuisine

In Bulgarian cuisine pita is the type of bread served when a special occasion occurs. Its preparation and eating 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, which would bring fertility to the cattle and rich harvest to the fields, as well as the prosperity of each member of the household. She hides a nickel in it and it is believed that whoever finds it in his piece, will be the healthiest and the wealthiest of the family. Before a girl is married her future mother-in-law prepares a pita for the newlyweds and sifts it seven times, so the pita will be feathery 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 a very important part of the Bulgarian cuisine - and as a Bulgarian proverb says, "no-one is bigger than the 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.

See also

• Banitsa (pastry)

External links

• "Pita Recipe". Brad Harvey, Whats4Eats.com. Retrieved Feb 12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
• Greek salad pita pockets recipe
• Kangaroo Brands: Pita Pocket Manufacturer (coupons & recipes)