A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread.

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

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 site called Shubayqa 1 in Jordan (in Harrat ash Shaam, the Black Desert) dating to 12,400 BC, some 4,000 years before the start of agriculture in the region. Analysis showed that they were probably from flatbread containing wild barley, einkorn wheat, oats, and Bolboschoenus glaucus tubers (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, and tandır in Turkish. 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.

Hummus (/ˈhʊməs/, /ˈhʌməs/; 'chickpeas'; full Arabic name: ḥummuṣ bi-ṭ-ṭaḥīna , 'chickpeas with tahini'), also spelled houmous, is a Middle Eastern dip, spread, or savory dish made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.

 The standard garnish in the Middle East includes olive oil, a few whole chickpeas, parsley, and paprika.

In Middle Eastern cuisine, it is usually eaten as a dip, with pita bread. In the West, it is now produced industrially, and is often served as a snack or appetizer with crackers.

Although multiple different theories and claims of origins exist in various parts of the Middle East, evidence is insufficient to determine the precise location or time of the invention of hummus. Its basic ingredients—chickpeas, sesame, lemon, and garlic—have been combined and eaten in Egypt and the Levant for centuries. 

Though regional populations widely ate chickpeas, and often cooked them in stews and other hot dishes, puréed chickpeas eaten cold with tahini do not appear in records before the Abbasid period in Egypt and the Levant.

The earliest known written recipes for a dish resembling hummus bi tahina are recorded in cookbooks written in Cairo in the 13th century. 

A cold purée of chickpeas with vinegar and pickled lemons with herbs, spices, and oil, but no tahini or garlic, appears in the Kanz al-Fawa'id fi Tanwi' al-Mawa'id; and a purée of chickpeas and tahini called hummus kasa appears in the Kitab Wasf al-Atima al-Mutada: it is based on puréed chickpeas and tahini, and acidulated with vinegar (though not lemon), but it also contains many spices, herbs, and nuts, and no garlic. It is also served by rolling it out and letting it sit overnight.

Potatoes are eaten year-round as the main source of carbohydrates, and are a staple in many traditional dishes. Not until the last 50 years have pasta or rice become common on the dinner table. There are several different kinds of potatoes: the most appreciated is the new potato, a potato which ripens in early summer, and is enjoyed at the traditional midsummer feast. New potatoes at midsummer are served with pickled herring, chives, sour cream, and the first strawberries of the year are traditionally served as dessert.

The most highly regarded mushroom in Sweden is the chanterelle, which is considered a delicacy. The chanterelle is usually served as a side dish together with steaks, or fried with onions and sauce served on an open sandwich. Second to the chanterelle, and considered almost as delicious, is the porcini mushroom, or karljohansvamp, named after Charles XIV John (Karl XIV Johan) who introduced its use as food.

Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a broth; common flavors are soy sauce and miso, with typical toppings including sliced pork, nori, menma, and scallions. Ramen has its roots in Chinese noodle dishes. 

 Nearly every region in Japan has its own variation of ramen, such as the tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen of Kyushu and the miso ramen of Hokkaido. 

Ramen is a Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodle soups and was first recorded to have appeared in Yokohama Chinatown. Although the ramen takes its name from lāmiàn, it does not actually evolve from the northern Chinese dish of lamian. The noodles used in ramen known as "chūkamen" are cut rather than hand-pulled.[4] The ramen is derived from southern Chinese noodle dishes such as the char siu tangmian of Guangdong and the rousi tangmian of Jiangnan This is reflective of Yokohama Chinatown's demographics, as most Chinese settlers in the district came from the cities of Guangzhou and Shanghai.

One theory says that ramen was introduced to Japan during the 1660s by the Chinese neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Shunsui who served as an advisor to Tokugawa Mitsukuni after he became a refugee in Japan to escape Manchu rule and Mitsukuni became the first Japanese person to eat ramen. Most historians reject this theory as a myth created by the Japanese to embellish the origins of ramen.

According to historians, the more plausible theory is that ramen was introduced to Japan in the late 19th or early 20th centuries by Chinese immigrants living in Yokohama Chinatown. In 1910, the first ramen shop named Rairaiken [ja] (来々軒) opened in Asakusa, Tokyo, where the Japanese owner employed twelve Cantonese cooks from Yokohama's Chinatown and served the ramen arranged for Japanese customers.

Phở or pho is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (bánh phở), herbs, and meat (usually beef (phở bò), sometimes chicken (phở gà)).

Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants countrywide. Nam Định people were the first to create Vietnamese traditional phở. Phở is considered Vietnam's national dish.

Phở originated in the early 20th century in Northern Vietnam, and was popularized throughout the world by refugees after the Vietnam War. Because phở's origins are poorly documented, there is disagreement over the cultural influences that led to its development in Vietnam, as well as the etymology of the name. The Hanoi (northern) and Saigon (southern) styles of pho differ by noodle width, sweetness of broth, and choice of herbs and sauce.

Cultural historian and researcher Trịnh Quang Dũng believes that the popularization and origins of modern pho stemmed from the intersection of several historical and cultural factors in the early 20th century. 

These include improved availability of beef due to French demand, which in turn produced beef bones that were purchased by Chinese workers to make into a dish similar to phở called ngưu nhục phấn. The demand for this dish was initially the greatest with workers from the provinces of Yunnan and Guangdong, who had an affinity for the dish due to its similarities to that of their homeland, which eventually popularized and familiarized this dish with the general population.

Cantonese dim sum was originally based on local foods such as sweet roast pork called "char siu" and fresh rice noodles. As dim sum continued to develop, chefs introduced influences and traditions from other regions of China, which created a starting point for the wide variety of dim sum available today. 

Dim sum (traditional Chinese: 點心; simplified Chinese: 点心; pinyin: diǎn xīn; Jyutping: dim2 sam1) is a large range of small Cantonese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. 

Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cuisines. In the tenth century, when the city of Canton (Guangzhou) began to experience an increase in commercial travel, many frequented teahouses for small-portion meals with tea called "yum cha" (brunch). "Yum cha" includes two related concepts. The first is "jat zung loeng gin" (Chinese: 一盅兩件), which translates literally as "one cup, two pieces". 

This refers to the custom of serving teahouse customers two delicately made food items, savory or sweet, to complement their tea. The second is dim sum, which translates literally to "touch the heart", the term used to designate the small food items that accompanied the tea. 

Käsespätzle (German for "spätzle with cheese", also called Käsknöpfle in Vorarlberg and Liechtenstein or Kasspatzln in Tyrol) is a traditional dish of the German regions of Swabia, Baden and Allgäu, and also in the Austrian regions Vorarlberg and Tyrol, as well as Liechtenstein and Switzerland. 

Hot spätzle and grated cheese such as Emmentaler or granular cheese are layered alternately and finally topped with fried onions. After adding each layer, the käsespätzle is baked until all the cheese is melted.

Accompanying side dishes are green salads or potato salad. In some parts of Vorarlberg and also Liechtenstein käsespätzle is usually served with apple sauce. Leftovers of käsespätzle can be pan-fried with butter.

Chicken tikka masala is a dish consisting of roasted marinated chicken chunks (chicken tikka) in a spiced sauce. The sauce is usually creamy and orange-coloured. The dish was first offered by British cooks of south Asian origin and subsequently gained popularity at restaurants around the world. 

The origin of the dish is not certain, but many sources attribute it to the South Asian community in Great Britain; some sources also cite Glasgow as the city of origin.

Chicken tikka masala may derive from butter chicken, a popular dish in the northern Indian subcontinent. The Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics credits its creation to Bangladeshi migrant chefs in Britain in the 1960s. They developed and served a number of new inauthentic "Indian" dishes, including chicken tikka masala.

Historians of ethnic food Peter and Colleen Grove discuss multiple claims regarding the origin of chicken tikka masala, concluding that the dish "was most certainly invented in Britain, probably by a Bangladeshi chef." They suggest that "the shape of things to come may have been a recipe for Shahi Chicken Masala in Mrs. Balbir Singh’s Indian Cookery published in 1961."

Another explanation is that it originated in a restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland. This version recounts how a British Pakistani chef, Ali Ahmed Aslam, proprietor of a restaurant in Glasgow, invented chicken tikka masala by improvising a sauce made from a tin of condensed tomato soup, and spices. Peter Grove challenged any claim that Aslam was the creator of the dish as it had already existed for several years before.

Chef Anita Jaisinghani, a correspondent in the Houston Chronicle, wrote that "the most likely story is that the modern version was created during the early ’70s by an enterprising Indian chef near London" who used Campbell's tomato soup. However, restaurant owner Iqbal Wahhab said that he and culinary historian Peter Grove fabricated the story of a chef using tomato soup to create chicken tikka masala in order "to entertain journalists".

Rahul Verma, a food critic who writes for The Hindu, claimed that the dish has its origins in the Punjab region.

Naan (pronounced “non”, with a short ‘o’ sound as in “sock”) usually refers to a kind of flatbread. Naan is historically cooked in a hot tandoor oven in the ground or on hot wood charcoal. 

These cooking methods often result in temperatures of about 900°F (480°C).  Early recorded history of naan first appeared in the notes of Indo-Persian poet Amir Kushrau in 1300 AD. Originally, naan was developed after the arrival of yeast in India from Egypt.During India’s Mughal era in the 1520s, Naan was a delicacy that only nobles and royal families enjoyed because the art of making Naan was a revered skill, known by few.

The earliest appearance of "naan" in English is from 1803 in a travelogue of William Tooke. The Persian word nān 'bread' is attested in Middle Persian as n'n 'bread, food', which is of Iranian origin, and is a cognate with Parthian ngn, Kurdish nan, Balochi nagan, Sogdian nγn-, and Pashto nəγan 'bread'. Naan may have derived from bread baked on hot pebbles in ancient Persia.

The form naan has a widespread distribution, having been borrowed in a range of languages spoken in the Indian subcontinent and also Central Asia where it usually refers to a kind of flatbread (tandyr nan). The spelling naan has been recorded as being first attested in 1979, but dates back at least to 1975, and has since become the normal English spelling. Many English speakers refer to it as "naan bread" which is a common mistake, as simply "naan" already means "bread".

Naan spread to Indian subcontinent during Islamic Delhi Sultanate period, earliest mention of naan in the region comes from the memoirs of Indo-Persian Sufi poet Amir Khusrau living in India during 1300s AD. Amir Khusrau mentions two kinds of naan eaten by Muslim nobles; Naan-e-Tunuk and Naan-e-Tanuri. Naan-e-Tunuk was a light or thin bread, while Naan-e-Tanuri was the heavy bread and was baked in the tandoor. 

The Ain-i-Akbari, a written record of the third Mughal emperor’s reign also mentions naan and it was eaten with kebabs or kheema (spiced minced meat) in it. By 1700s naan had reached the masses in Mughal cultural centers in South Asia.

A Cuban sandwich (Spanish: Sándwich cubano) is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that likely originated in cafes catering to Cuban workers in Tampa or Key West, two early Cuban immigrant communities in Florida centered on the cigar industry. Later on, Cuban exiles and expatriates brought it to Miami, where it is also very popular. The sandwich is made with ham, (mojo) roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes salami on Cuban bread. Salami is included in Tampa, where there is a large Italian population, but is not usually included in South Florida.

The Cuban sandwich is at the center of a long-running friendly rivalry between Miami and Tampa. As part of that rivalry, the "Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich" was designated the "signature sandwich of the city of Tampa" by the Tampa City Council in 2012.

Juan More came to Tampa after fighting with the Spanish army in the revolution of 1875 in Cuba. When More arrived in Tampa he had a piece of paper tucked in his pocket that contained his Cuban bread recipe. That recipe would change the face of breadmaking in Tampa for generations to come. 

Cuban bread wasn’t always a long thin loaf of bread, but was originally a short round loaf. According to historian Tony Pizzo, Cuban bread changed its shaped during the Cuban war for independence. “The war caused a shortage of flour, and the resourceful Cubans converted the conventional round loaf into a long thin shape,” Pizzo wrote. “This made it practical to cut into pieces for rationing.” Cuban bread makers never switched back. This way of making Cuban bread gives a crispy, flaky crust on the outside and a soft, spongy texture on the inside.

While the ingredients to make Cuban bread are not out of the ordinary, it’s the process that makes the bread so unique. Palmetto leaves are an important step during the process of making Cuban bread. They lay flat on top of the bread while it bakes to a crisp. This helps to keep the moisture inside. Cuban bread also is an important ingredient when making local food such as Cuban sandwiches and deviled crabs.

Cuban roast pork can be made with either pork shoulder or Boston butt. The difference between the two cuts of meat are minimal. Boston butts come from the top of the pig’s forelegs, just above the pork shoulder. 

Despite shoulder meat being slightly tougher, if I find pork shoulder on sale, I’m going with that over the Boston butt, because, I mean, your girl likes to save money.

Bone, or no bone? That is the question! When it comes to whether or not you should purchase and roast meat on the bone—always go bone-in.

The truth is, the more a cut of meat is processed, the more it's going to cost. My grocery store was charging $2.69 a pound for a boneless, skinless Boston butt and only $1.49 per pound for bone-in with a minimal fat cap.

Not only will choosing a bone-in roast save you a few coins, the bone also helps retain some of the juice that would otherwise be lost during the cooking process. The more muscle that’s exposed to heat (as happens when solid roast is cut open to remove the bone), the faster it will dry out during cooking. Cost and juiciness are enough to make the bone worth dealing with, right? 

Mojo is used to flavor a wide variety of meats in Caribbean cuisine prior to cooking. When simmered long enough to cut through the bite of that raw garlic, mojo can also be used as a sauce on finished dishes. 

Mojo is traditionally made using the juice from bitter oranges. If you have access to them, it’s worth seeking out the difficult-to-find bitter orange to make “authentic” mojo.

But the bitter orange is not easily found in the contiguous United States, and I don’t want you to miss out on the flavor bounty of this dish just because you can’t find them.

Perfect for breakfast or any other meal of the day, Shakshuka is an easy and healthy recipe that comes together quickly on the stovetop. This recipe features a mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and garlic simmered together with pockets of gently poached eggs. While it may look complicated, you can make a restaurant-quality version at home in a few simple steps. 

This flatbread recipe is quick, easy and very delicious. This flatbread is made without yeast and requires only 3 ingredients for the dough. These yogurt flatbreads are light and fluffy.  Brush the flatbread with flavorful garlic-butter mixture and serve with your favorite meal. 

Once you try this easy to make homemade hummus recipe from scratch, you will never buy it from the store again. 

Check out one of my favorite side dishes; german potato salad with bacon! This is my take on a traditional German potato salad, and this delicious warm German potato salad is a amazing and easy side dish for any cookout. 

Join Chris Morocco back in his home kitchen as he makes weeknight meatballs. We stripped meatballs down to the most essential elements, creating a recipe that is easy enough for a postwork dinner. Making larger meatballs means they actually have time to properly brown in the oven without overcooking. 

Pop culture, comedy and plain good eating: Host Alton Brown explores the origins of ingredients, decodes culinary customs, and presents food and equipment trends. Punctuated by unusual interludes, simple preparations and unconventional discussions, he'll bring you food in its finest and funniest form. 

As autumn/fall begins to sneak in and temperatures begin to sink lower, its the perfect time to make a delicious Ramen (oh and it's Vegetarian)! Even better is this can be done in under 10 minutes! This week on Ramsay in 10 Gordon's making a delicious cauliflower and ginger ramen for you to warm up with 

Tonkotsu ramen: less an essential skill and more a right-of-passage for the modern home cook. And, you know, an essential part of Japanese culture and day-to-day life.  Sure, it takes two some-odd days to make, and sure, you can burn your hands on the alkaline salt, and sure, getting every element just right is a constant barrage of challenges.  But with that first steamy slurp comes a superlative sense of accomplishment - not to mention, a truly delicious dinner. 

Welcome to the series 7 premiere of 18th Century Cooking! We start things off by trying a delicious and easy Sauerkraut recipe right out of the 18th century! 

In a previous episode, we showed you just how easy it is to make sauerkraut, but if you simply can't wait for the weeks needed for it to ferment, you may want to try this delicious and quick alternative -- pickled cabbage! 

When the British left India they took home the memory of delicious Indian food in packets of mixed spices hoping they would be able to reproduce it. It was called curry powder. Today, whether from curry powder or direct from Indian recipes (as in Jamaica and Sri Lanka), a taste of India enlivens cuisines around the world. The Spice Of Life videos here are posted in tribute to Writer, Producer and Director Lyn Gambles. 

Chintan Pandya of restaurants Adda, Rahi, and Dhamaka in NYC is in the Munchies Test Kitchen to whip up (and unpack) a controversial “Indian” dish: chicken tikka masala. This dish, a staple on Western Indian restaurant menus, has dubious origins despite its widespread popularity and Chintan breaks down how to make it at home. He explains how to make each of the three main components: tender yogurt-marinated chicken thighs, creamy makhni gravy, and a spicy onion and tomato masala. 

When you think about Cubans in Florida, you probably don’t think of Tampa. But you should! Sure, today, Miami has the biggest concentration of Cuban-Americans in the state -- and the country, for that matter. But back before Miami was even a city, it was here, in Tampa, that the cigar industry boomed and the iconic Cuban sandwich was born. 

With the largest Cuban American populations in the country, it's no surprise the Cuban sandwich reigns supreme in South Florida. The ham, cheese, and roast pork combo is not to be missed during a visit to the Sunshine State. Sanguich de Miami makes the legendary Cuban sandwich almost entirely in-house, which isn't the case at every Cuban restaurant. From the seven days its cooks spend brining ham, to the pickles they make in-house, to the Cuban bread specially made by a local bakery, every ingredient in this sandwich is intentionally prepared and cared for. 

Travel alongside Cook's Country's Editorial Director Bryan Roof as he explores the communities and cuisines that make up the great American dinner table. In this episode, he travels to Ybor City in Tampa to learn all about the Cuban Sandwich.

For as far back as anyone can remember, Tampa bakers have used palmetto leaves to make Cuban bread.

And for the last three decades, the same man has traveled the state collecting the palm leaves needed by La Segunda Bakery, which bakes more than seven million loaves a year.

But that man, who La Segunda employees will only identify as Danny because he wants to stay unknown, has informed the company he is contemplating retirement.

When he does, there is serious concern that no one will want to replace him. Those who have done the job say it is grueling.