Bread around the world takes many, many forms, but it is universally recognized as a beloved staple of every culture. It is the oldest food form that requires work, and sometimes artistry, to complete. It has an amazing history. We are all about history and tasty vacations at GetAway Travel. We can create a vacation for you, with our without fermentation, that has plenty of history and yummy bread options. Since there is reportedly more than 6,000 types of bread in the world, we can guarantee there will be bread involved in your adventure! Let’s look at some of the bread options from around the world.
Africa and Asia
The national bread of Ethiopia is Injera. Made with a sourdough starter, it has a unique spongy texture and you can eat it with toppings, or use it as a rolled up vessel for stew and vegetables. There’s also dabo which is generally reserved for special occasions. It is a thicker flatbread made with wheat flour, but it can also contain barley and other flours.
Injera
Enjoy Mielie bread in South Africa. Mielie means maize and the bread is made by steaming cornbread, chock full of while kernels of corn, over a campfire.
Mielie Braai (corn on the grill)
Krachel is a brioche-like roll that you’ll find in Morocco. It is flavored with sesame seeds, anise and orange flower water.
Krachel
Agege is Nigeria’s version of white bread and in South Africa, try roosterkoek which is balls of dough cooked on grates over a grill. Lavish is a soft, thin flatbread baked in a tandoor oven that you can find in Turkey, Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan. In Turkey you can find simit, a ring-shaped sesame coated flatbread.
Simit, cheese, and turkish tea
Nan-e barbari is Persian flatbread dusted with sesame seeds it has a similar texture to focaccia.
In Turkey you’d eat pide which is a flatbread topped with lots of tasty options. Vacationing in the Arab Emirates? Try Khameer, a soft, pillowy flatbread topped with sesame and black cumin seeds. Made with dates, water, milk and cardamon, it has a sweet, nutty flavor. In Jordan, Lebanon and Syria there is manakeesh. This flatbread is covered with a mix of za’atar (a spice mixture of sumac, herbs and sesame seeds) and olive oil.
Manakeesh
Your meals in India will be accompanied by naan, made by mixing flour with milk or yogurt and baking it in a tandoor. Or, dosa could be served. Dosa is more labor intensive than naan or chapati. Roti and chapati are more like pancakes and they are baked on a grill. Dosa is made by soaking rice and lentils overnight, grinding the mixture into a paste and then letting it ferment for eight hours. It is grilled.
Masala dosa with chutney and sambar
Paratha is Indian flatbead with layers folded over with ghee in between. It is then pan fried and it heavier than a chapati. It is often served stuffed with vegetables and paneer cheese.
Aloo Paratha with butter and curry
Japanese milk break is fluffy white bread also called Shokupan. It is baked in a rectangular pan and has a flat top. A popular sweet in Japan is anpan. This fluffy, sweet dough ball is topped with sesame seeds and filled with a sweet red bean, chestnut or white bean paste.
Shokupan – Japanese milk bread
A popular street food in China is manton or steamed buns. They have a soft, puffy texture and a mild sweet flavor. It can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients.
Steamed bun with pork filling
A fluffy, sweet bun is called pai bao in Hong Kong and a popular street food in Korea is cream cheese stuffed garlic bread. A round, yeasty loaf is stuffed with cream cheese and garlic filling and topped with herbs.
Korean cream cheese and garlic bun
Options abound in Europe
Germany takes the prize for most kinds of bread and most rules designating what goes into specific bread. That’s why their bread traditions earns recognition from UNESCO and you can read about it here.
But UNESCO has also recognized France’s baguette. That long thin loaf with the crisp outside crust and chewy interior is an icon. You can try brioche in France, it’s an uptick on the baguette with lots of eggs and butter.
French baguette
France’s Provence region has fougasse. It is an olive oil rich round loaf with slashes on top to resemble wheat. It can be topped with rosemary and olives or stuffed with an olive tapenade or sun-dried tomatoes. You can also find sweet filled versions.
Fougasse
In Iceland try the Rúgbrauð, it’s a rich, thick chewy rye that is baked underground courtesy of the hot geothermal springs.
Icelandic volcano
The Netherlands has an interesting breakfast, or sometimes lunch, tradition. Hagelslag is buttered toast with chocolate sprinkles. Tijgerbrood is equally interesting. A loaf of bread is spread with a paste of rice flour, yeast, caster sugar, salt and oil. When the loaf is baked, the top turns golden and speckled — similar to a tiger coat.
Hagelslag, may be an aquired taste
Lefse is a Norwegian potato-based flatbread. A holiday classic, it is served with butter and jelly or with deli meat and cheese. In the southern most area of Norway you can find sunnmersbrod, a rustic bread made with wheat and rye flour.
Lefse
In Jewish communities throughout the continent try challah, a rich, eggy bread with a braided top. Chocolate babka is a sweet twisted bread with, of course, chocolate.
Challah bread
Spain’s pan de payes is a round loaf with a thick crispy crust with lots of nice air pockets inside. Slices of the bread are served with olive oil, tomatoes and salt rubbed on top. Pan gallego is similar, but made with more wheat flour and it can be shaped in a ring or baguette.
Pan gallego
Korovai in the Ukraine is a beautiful, artfully decorated bread that sits near the altar during marriage ceremonies.
Korovai – ready to get married
Obwarzanek krakowski in Poland is an important part of the culture. As a sign of hospitality, visitors are greeted with salt and bread. Bagels were invented in Poland. They are bigger than a bagel in the US and are usually topped with poppy or sesame seeds. Paska is a braided bread made with lots of butter, eggs and milk.
Bread stand in Krakow, Poland selling obwarzanek krakowski
Baking powder and buttermilk give Ireland’s soda bread its lift and distinctive taste and texture.
Ireland soda bread with currants
Italy excels as a bread country! There’s ciabatta, a bread created recently shaped like a slipper and used as a sandwich vessel. Focaccia is a bread brushed with olive oil and the top is sprinkled with salt and aromatic herbs. Sometimes there are elaborate edible scenes on top of the round or square loaf.
Focaccia
Limpa is a Swedish rye bread with orange, fennel or anise flavor. In Finland try pulla, a sweet, braided bread flavored with cardamon.
someone dropped the pulla – 5 second rule in force
In Hungary try the beigli, a stuffed brioche like dough with nut or poppy seed filling.
Beigli stuffed with poppy seeds
Next up on the blogs — bread options, alternatives in South America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Oceania.
Can’t decide on a bread or a destination? Travel advisors at GetAway Travel have options! We can be reached at: (262) 538-2140, e-mail: sue@getaway.travel or paul@getaway.travel
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