Saj bread facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Saj bread

Unleavened yufka bread made on griddle
Alternative names	Tava bread
Type	Flatbread
Place of origin	Middle East, South Asia
Main ingredients	flour, water, salt

Saj bread (Arabic: خبز صاج, romanized: khubz ṣāj) is a special type of flatbread that is very popular. It is also known as tava bread (Hindi: तवा रोटी, romanized: tavā roṭī). This bread is unleavened, meaning it is made without yeast or baking powder. So, it doesn't puff up like regular bread.

Saj bread is cooked on a hot metal surface called a griddle. This griddle is known as a saj in Arabic-speaking countries. In places like India and Pakistan, it's called a tava. The tava can be curved inwards in India or outwards in Pakistan.

Discovering Saj Bread: A Global Treat

Saj bread is a staple food in many parts of the world. It is especially common in the Middle East and South Asia. People have been making and enjoying this simple yet delicious bread for a very long time.

Saj Bread in the Middle East

In the Middle East, Saj bread comes in different forms. It is often very thin and large.

Yufka Bread: A Turkish Favorite

In Turkey, this thin, flatbread is called yufka (Turkish: yufka ekmeği). It can be quite big, sometimes up to 60 centimeters wide. Yufka is also unleavened and cooked on a convex (curved outwards) metal griddle. This griddle is called a saç in Turkish.

Arab Saj Bread: Thin and Wide

Arab saj bread is similar to another bread called markook shrek. However, saj bread is usually even thinner and larger.

Shrāke: Palestine's Saj Bread

In Palestine, saj bread is simply known as shrāke. It is different from markook, which is baked in a special clay oven called a tannur. In Israel, people often call shrāke "Druze pita," even when it's made by people who are not Druze.

Gözleme: A Stuffed Turkish Delight

Gözleme is a savory (not sweet) stuffed flatbread from Turkey. It is also cooked on a saç griddle. Sometimes, gözleme is made using pre-rolled sheets of yufka dough. People fill it with different tasty ingredients.

Saj Bread in the Indian Subcontinent

In the Indian subcontinent, a similar bread is known as tava roti.

Tava Roti: Simple and Delicious

Tava roti is a type of roti bread. It gets its name because it is cooked on a tava griddle. It's a common part of meals in many homes.

Images for kids

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  Kurdish bread (Iran)

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  Lavaş (Azerbaijan)

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  Qurasah (Sudan)

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  Roti (India)

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  Shrāke (Palestine)

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  Yufka bread (Turkey)