Pita Bread

Pita bread takes on many roles in Middle Eastern cookery. Invented by the ancient Greeks, pita bread (from the Greek word pita, meaning “pie”) is a vessel, a serving dish, and a utensil. It is a principal ingredient in fattoush, an Egyptian salad similar to panzanella, and in fattah in which stewed chicken or lamb rests on a bed of toasted pita crisps and is topped with fresh labna. In Afghan cuisine, kebabs and mezze are laid out on a blanket, and pita bread is shredded by hand and used to scoop up the dips and meats. Eating with the right hand is customary in many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures, and pita bread is the perfect vessel. Soft, pliant, and extremely nutritious, pita bread is a staple of the Egyptian diet. Bread programs subsidized by the government make pita available to all social classes.