Did you know that in the Middle East, a meal without bread is unthinkable? Bread is probably the one food eaten by people of every race, culture and religion. People all around the globe eat bread in all shapes and sizes.

Below are some breads (mostly flatbreads) from around the world.

EUROPE

* Blintz/blini (Russia)
* Ciabatta (Italy)
* Crêpes, Croissant, Baguette (France)
* Crisp Bread (Scandinavia)
* Flatbrod (Norway)
* Focaccia (Italy)
* Rugbrød (Danish)
* Reikäleipä (Finnish)
* Lefse (Norway)
* Oatcakes (Scotland)
* Pretzel (Germany)
* Pane Carasau (Italy)

* Croissant (France)

* Pannekoek (The Netherlands)
* Pfannkuchen (Germany)
* Piadine (Italy)
* Pizza (Italy)
* Waffles (Belgium)

* Reikäleipä (Finland)

AFRICA

* Injera (Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea)
* Khubz (Morocco)
* Ngome (Mali)

MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE-EAST/ASIA

* Babari (Iran)

* Aish Mehahra (Egypt)
* Baladi (Egypt)
* Barbari bread (Iran)
* Lavash (Armenia)
* Matzo (Israel)
* Pita (Turkey through the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula)
* Sangak (Iran)
* Murtabak (Saudi Arabia (especially the Hejaz region), Yemen, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Brunei

India/Sri Lanka

Dosai

* Bhakri
* Chapati
* Dosai
* Naan
* Pappad
* Paratha
* Puri
* Idli

China

*Mantou (flower buns)
*Youtiau/Yau Ja Gwai

Youtiau/yau ja gwai (Chinese cruller) translates literally as “Deep Fried Ghost” in Cantonese. According to popular Chinese folklore, the name is an act of protest against Song Dynasty official Qin Hui, who is said to have orchestrated the plot to frame the general Yue Fei, an icon of patriotism in Chinese culture. It is said that the bread, originally in the shape of two human-shaped pieces of dough but later evolved into two pieces joined in the middle, represents Qin Hui and his wife, both having a hand in collaborating with the enemy to bring about the great general’s demise. In keeping with the legend, youtiao are often made as two foot-long rolls of dough joined along the middle, with one roll representing the husband and the other the wife. Deep-frying symbolizes cauldron torture, one of the 18 levels of Chinese Hades where sinners are fried in hot cauldrons while eating the bread is symbolic of dismemberment, the next level of the 18 levels.

Malaysia

Roti Chanai (Paratha)

Roti Jala

Roti Jala is derived from the Malay word ‘roti’ (bread) and ‘jala’ (net). This lacy and net-like bread/crepe/pancake is made with a special ladle that has five holes.

Roti Jala is usually eaten with curry.

Apam Balik

Apam Balik which translates as turnover (balik) pancake has a filling of sweet corn, peanuts and sugar.

Roti Tisu

Roti Tisu (Tissue Bread in Malay) is a tissue-thin (hence the name) version of the original Roti Chanai. It’s acutally Roti Chanai that is stetched and then turned into a cone shape.

When served, it has to be placed across 3 or more plates as it can be pretty long when it’s horizontal!!

link – http://senselist.com/2006/08/25/39-flat-bread-variations-from-around-the-world/