Khubz facts for kids
Making tannur bread.
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Khubz (pronounced 'khoobz') is the Arabic word for "bread." You might also see it spelled as khoubz, khobez, khubez, or khubooz. It's a very common food in many Middle Eastern countries.
There are different kinds of khubz. Two popular types are "pocket" pita bread, which is common in places like Egypt, and flat tannur bread, which is popular in Iraq.
Did you know that the oldest bread ever found was in Northern Jordan? Archaeologists discovered it, and it's about 14,000 years old! It was a flatbread made without yeast, using wild grains.
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Tannur Bread
In Iraq, the most popular type of bread is called Tannur bread (ḵubz al-tannūr). It's a slightly leavened flatbread, meaning it uses a little bit of yeast to make it rise. It's similar to other flatbreads you might know, like nan-e barbari from Iran or naan from South Asia. It even looks a bit like a pizza base!
The word "tannur" comes from an ancient language called Akkadian. It means "mud fire," which makes sense because tannur bread is baked in a special clay oven called a tannur.
Long ago, in the 10th century, a cookbook called Kitab al-Tabikh by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq included six different recipes for bread baked in a tannur oven.
In the 1990s, there were some tough times in Iraq due to economic problems. Because of this, more people started making bread the traditional way in a tannur oven.
Pita Bread
Pita is a flatbread that you can find in many Mediterranean, Balkan, and Middle Eastern countries. In Arab countries, pita bread is usually round and flat, about 18 cm (7 in) to 30 cm (12 in) wide.
When pita bakes, it puffs up, creating a "pocket" inside. This pocket is perfect for filling with yummy foods! Pita bread is best eaten warm because it doesn't have much fat, so it can dry out quickly.
The "pocket" pita bread first came from the Middle East. It's also known as Arabic bread, Lebanese bread, or Syrian bread.
In countries like Egypt, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Syria, people eat almost every savory dish with or on pita bread. It's a very important food in Lebanese cooking.
Common fillings for pita include falafel (fried chickpea balls), shawarma (sliced meat), kebab, shakshouka (eggs and tomatoes), hummus, and other mezes (small dishes). People from other countries, like those in South Asia, also use pita instead of roti to eat with curries or cooked vegetables and meat.
Images for kids
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Preparation of tannur bread.
See also
In Spanish: Pan árabe para niños
