Pita

Pita(Greek:πίτα,romanized:pita/ˈpɪtə/orUS:/ˈpiːtə/)orpitta(British English) is a family of yeast-leavenedroundflatbreadsbaked fromwheat flour, common in theMediterranean,Levant, and neighboring areas. It includes the widely known version with an interior pocket, also known asArabic bread(Arabic:خبز عربي;khubz ʿArabī). In theUnited Kingdom,Greek breadis used for pocket versions such as the Greek pita, and are used forbarbecuesas asouvlakiwrap.TheWesternnamepitamay sometimes be used to refer to various other types of flatbreads that have different names in their local languages, such as numerous styles of Arabkhubz(bread).
The first mention of the word in English cited in theOxford English Dictionarywas in 1936.The English word is borrowed fromModern Greekπίτα(píta, "bread, cake, pie"), in turn fromByzantine Greek(attested in 1108),possibly fromAncient Greekπίττα(pítta) orπίσσα(píssa), both "pitch/resin" for the gloss,or fromπικτή(piktḗ, "fermented pastry"), which may have passed toLatinaspictacf.pizza.InLevantine Arabicit evolved intofatteh, (sinceOld Arabic/p/ evolved into /f/).Other hypotheses trace the word back to theClassical Hebrewwordפת(patt, lit. "a morsel of bread").It is spelled like theAramaicפיתא(pittā), from which it was received into Byzantine Greek (see above). Hypotheses also exist forGermanicorIllyrianintermediaries.
The word has been borrowed by theTurkishlanguage aspide,and appears in theBalkan languagesasBosnian-Serbian-Croatianpita,Romanianpită,Albanianpite, andBulgarianpitkaorpita; however, in the Serbo-Croatian languages of the countries comprising theformer Yugoslavia, this culinary item is known assomunorlepinjawhile the word pita is used in a general sense meaningpie.
InArabic, the phraseخبز البيتا(khabaz albayta, lit. "pita bread") is sometimes used; other names are simplyخبز(khubz, "bread"),الخبز العربي(al-khubz al-ʿarabiyy, "Arab bread") orخبز الكماج(khabaz al-kimaj, "al-kimaj bread").InEgypt, it is calledعيش بلدي(ʽēš baladi) or simplyعيش(ʽēš, "bread"),although other subtypes of "bread" are common in Egypt, such aseish finoandeish merahrah.
InGreek,pita(πίτα) is understood by default to refer to the thicker, pocketless Greek pita, whereas the thinnerkhubz-style pita is referred to asaravikí pita(αραβική πίτα, lit. "Arabic pastry").
Pita has roots in the prehistoric flatbreads of the Near East.There is evidence from about 14,500 years ago, during theStone Age, that theNatufianpeople in what is nowJordanmade a kind of flatbread from wild cereal grains.Ancient wheat and barley were among theearliest domesticated cropsin theNeolithicperiod of about 10,000 years ago, in theFertile Crescent. By 4,000 years ago, bread was of central importance in societies such as theBabylonianculture ofMesopotamia, where the earliest-known written records and recipes of bread-making originate,and where pita-like flatbreads cooked in atinûru(tannurortandoor) were a basic element of the diet, and much the same as today'standoor bread,taboon bread,andlaffa, an Iraqi flatbread with many similarities with pita. However, there is no record of the steam-puffed, two-layer "pocket pita" in the ancient texts, or in any of the medieval Arab cookbooks, and according to food historians such asCharles PerryandGil Marksit was likely a later development.
Most pita breads arebakedat high temperatures (450–475 °F (232–246 °C)), which turns the water in thedoughinto steam, thus causing the pita to puff up and form a pocket.When removed from theoven, the layers of baked dough remain separated inside the deflated pita, which allows the bread to be opened to form a pocket. However, pita is sometimes baked without pockets and is called "pocket-less pita". Pita is traditionally served fresh from the oven (typically a wood-fired oven similar to apizza oven). It is best either soon after baking or on the same day, and can be served warm.
Modern commercial pita bread is prepared on advanced automatic production lines, processing 100,000-pound (45,000 kg) silos of flour at a time and producing thousands of pitas per hour. The ovens used in commercial baking are much hotter than traditional clay ovens—800–900 °F (427–482 °C)—so each pita is baked only for one minute. The pita are then air-cooled for about 20 minutes on conveyor belts before being shipped immediately or else stored in commercialfreezerskept at a temperature of 10 °F (−12 °C).
Pita can be used to scoop sauces or dips, such ashummus, or to wrapkebabs,gyros, orfalafelin the manner ofsandwiches. It can also be cut and baked into crispy pita chips.
InTurkish cuisine, the wordpidemay refer to three different styles of bread: a flatbread similar to that eaten in Greece and Arab countries, a pizza-like dish,içli pide, where the filling is placed on the (often boat-shaped) dough before baking,andRamazan pidesi.  The first type ofpideis used to wrap various styles ofkebab, while the second is topped with cheese,ground meat, or other fresh orcuredmeats, and/or vegetables. Regional variations in the shape, baking technique, and toppings create distinctive styles for each region.
InCyprus, pita is typically rounder, fluffier and baked on a cast-iron skillet. It is used forsouvlakia,sheftalia,halloumiwithlountza, and gyros. InGreecethe wordpitameans "pastry" and is usually used for various cakes and pastries likespanakopita(spinach pie) andkarydopita(walnut cake) unrelated to the English language "pita" flatbread.Traditional breads in Greek cuisine are leavened loaves,such as the round καρβέλι karvéli or the oblong φραντζόλα frantzóla. This style of pita flatbread, in the English language meaning of the word, is almost exclusively used as a wrap forsouvlakiorgyrosusually garnished with some combination oftzatzikisauce, tomatoes, onions, andfrench fries.
InIsrael, pita is generally softer,thickerand doughier than other flatbreads, and it always contains a pocket.The pocket of the pita has thick walls, which according to the owner of a New York cafe are unique to Israeli pita, and help Israeli pita be sturdy enough for its signature fillings such as hummus,sabich, falafel, shawarma and chicken schnitzel, among others.Druze pita is also very popular.The Druze-style pita is filled withlabneh(thick yoghurt) and topped witholive oilandza'atar.
InBosnia,Croatia,BulgariaandSerbia, the local style of pitta is known aslepinja,somun,purlenkaorpitica, and is the most common bread served with barbecued food likećevapi,pljeskavica,kebapcheor grilledsausages. The wordpitaitself, on the other hand, is used forpiein the general sense in all local languages, and is mostly used forbörekor various sweetphyllopastry dishes (with the exception ofbaklavawhich is always called that).
Pita is also present in the cuisine of theAromanians.
Media related toPitaat Wikimedia CommonsThe dictionary definition ofpitaat Wiktionary