Four Iranian bread
There are four types of Iranian bread which are very popular named Barbari, Sangak, Taftoon, and Lavash. However, there are also some other types of Iranian bread in every village. Now, we are going to talk about the most popular types of Iranian bread.
Sangak
In Persian ‘sangak’ means little stone. The bread is baked on a bed of small river stones in an oven. There are usually two varieties of this bread offered at Iranian bakeries: the generic one which has no toppings; and the more expensive variety which is topped with poppy seeds and/or sesame seeds.
Sangak bread was traditionally the bread of the Persian army. It is mentioned for the first time in the 11th century. Each soldier carried a small quantity of pebbles which at camp were brought together to create the “sangak oven” that would bake the bread for the entire army. It’s very popular to eat Kebab, Dizi, and Abgoosht with Sangak. Sangak is not only popular in Iran, but also in Azerbaijan.
The bread has always been widely eaten in the territory of present day Azerbaijan, but following the Soviet takeover in 1920, it became less common. The Soviets opted for mass production of bread, an option which was not amiable to the traditional, hand-formed sangak. In neighbouring Iran however, sangak never lost its popularity.
Barbari
Barbari bread is a type of Iranian flatbread. It is one of the thickest flat breads. It is widely known as Persian flatbread in United States and Canada.
The word “Barbari” means belong to Barbar, and Barbar stands for a group of people who lived in the northeast of Iran. The bread got its name since the bread was baked in that area and brought to Tehran.
Barbari is a tick, flatbread with about 70 centimeters long and 30 centimeters wide. It is usually baked plain or with sesame.
It is the most common style baked in Iran. It is served in many restaurants with Lighvan cheese, a ewe’s milk cheese similar to feta cheese.
This crispy bread is a breakfast staple in Iran; it is best served freshly prepared and accompanied by creamy spreads, cheese, and a variety of fresh vegetables.
Lavash
Lavash is a soft, thin unleavened flatbread made in a tandoor and eaten all over the South Caucasus, Western Asia and the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea. Lavash is one of the most widespread types of bread in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey.
In 2014 Lavash Bread, the preparation, and meaning was listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO from Armenia. However, after two years, in 2016, the countries of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey were also added to the list of representative.
Taftan
Taftan, taftoon, taftun is a leavened flour bread from Iranian, Pakistani and Indian (notably Uttar Pradesh) cuisines. This bread is made with milk, yoghurt, and eggs and baked in a clay oven. It often flavoured with saffron and a small amount of cardamom powder, and may be decorated with seeds such as poppy seeds.
According to the Shahnameh; the Iranian national epics “Taftoon” is baked and used by people for centuries. The traditional way of baking the bread was baking in a clay oven called tanoor in Farsi.
The bread is mostly eaten with kebabs, but it can be consumed with virtually anything on the side, such as cottage cheese, tomatoes, and bell peppers.
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