In the Balkans and Greece, pita also refers to various pastries also called burek.

Pita

Origin
Region or state	Middle East, Balkans, Greece
Details
Main ingredient(s)	Flour and water

Pita or pitta ( /ˈpɪtə/ PI-tə) is a round pocket bread widely consumed in many Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Balkan cuisines. It is prevalent in Greece, the Balkans, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and parts of the Indian subcontinent. The "pocket" in pita bread is created by steam, which puffs up the dough. As the bread cools and flattens, a pocket is left in the middle.

Origin[link]

A Pita baker in Istanbul

Puffed up, freshly baked pita bread on a conveyor belt

Pita is a slightly leavened wheat bread, flat, either round or oval, and variable in size. Its history extends far into antiquity, since flatbreads in general, whether leavened or not, are among the most ancient breads, requiring no oven or utensils to make. The first evidence of flat breads occurs in and around Amorite Damascus.^{[citation needed]}

The term used for the bread in English is a loanword from Greek, pita (πίτα), probably derived from the Ancient Greek pēktos (πηκτός), meaning "solid" or "clotted".^[1] In the Arabic world flatbreads such as pita are called khubz (ordinary bread). The tenth-century Arab cookery book, Kitab al-Tabikh by ibn Sayyar al-Warraq, includes six recipes for khubz, all baked in a tannur oven.^[2]

Culinary use[link]

Pita is used to scoop sauces or dips such as hummus and to wrap kebabs, gyros or falafel in the manner of sandwiches. Most pita are baked at high temperatures (450 °F or 232 °C), causing the flattened rounds of dough to puff up dramatically. When removed from the oven, the layers of baked dough remain separated inside the deflated pita, which allows the bread to be opened into pockets, creating a space for use in various dishes.

Much of pita's popularity in the Western world since the 1970s is due to expanded use of the pocket for a type of sandwich. Instead of using pita to scoop foods, people fill the pocket with various ingredients to form a sandwich. These are sometimes called "pita pockets" or "pocket pitas".

In Greece, greek pita is a major component of pita-souvlaki and pitogyro. These types of sandwiches involve the wrapping of souvlaki or gyros with tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, sometimes french fries, and condiments into a pita bread. Pita has a soft, chewy texture and is pocketless. Plain pita is used for serving some kebabs on it such as Döner kebap, İskender kebap, Şiş kebab, Adana kebabı, Urfa Kebabı, Yoğurtlu kebap (Kebab with yogurt), and Tokat kebabı and making some sandwiches. Also made in Greece are the pizza-like foods called lahmacun are made with round-shaped pieces of thin Arabian pita dough topped with finely chopped meat and herbs before baking until crispy.

In Turkey, local pita is called pide which also refers to another pizza-like food made of pide dough topped with different ingredients. Regional variations in the shape, baking technique, and topped materials create distinctive styles for each region. Such pides can include chicken, beef, cheese, potatoes, garlic and many other ingredients.

Pita chips are a baked bread made from pita bread, often seasoned. They are crunchier and thicker than most chips. They are available in different flavors and can be a substitute for regular tortilla chips.

Customs[link]

Pita stuffed with falafel and salad

In Palestinian, Egyptian and Israeli cuisine, it is the custom to eat almost everything in a pita, from falafel, lamb or chicken shawarma, kebab, omelettes such as shakshouka (eggs and tomatoes), Molokhia and hummus and other salads.

See also[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up pita in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Pita

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