The Is The Most Popular Type Of Flatbread In The World

Pain de Campagne. Pita. Naan. There is something truly special about the smell of bread being baked that ignites something primal in all of us. As demonstrated by this list from the British Heart Foundation, there are at least 23 types of bread in the world. From dinner rolls to baguettes to challah, each unique form of bread has an element that makes it truly wondrous – especially flatbread. American Flatbread reports that cooking dough over fire is something that goes back almost 5,000 years. 

The Spruce Eats explains that traditional flatbread was essentially unleavened bread (in other words, it didn't have the rising element of yeast mixed in). Made primarily from flour, water, and salt, it was rolled flat and then cooked over a fire. Flatbread is said to have originated in ancient Egypt despite many cultures having their own version of it. While Afghanistan and India have naan, Italy has the piadina. But in the battle of the flatbreads, only one version reigns above all others, according to Taste Atlas.

Taste Atlas awarded the humble Mexican tortilla as one of the most popular flatbreads in the world. Much like the other flatbreads that were mentioned in Taste Atlas' top ten list, the tortilla has a deep, rich, and delicious history that spans back generations. It is reported that the tortilla is a food that can be traced back to the ancient Mesoamerican people of North America. Taste Atlas explains how the corn that was cultivated would be used to create masa (the tortilla dough) and then would be rolled into balls later to be hand-pressed and cooked. The site also explains that there are Indigenous tribes today who undergo rigorous training to master the art of making authentic tortillas. 

You're probably wondering where flour tortillas came from if the native Mesoamerican people used corn to make their tortillas. Although a somewhat hazy timeline, it is believed that flour tortillas came about after the introduction of wheat by Spanish conquistadors who reached the region in the 15th century. So, who did the tortilla beat out for the top spot? The other popular flatbreads were China's shaobing, Italy's focaccia and piadina, Turkey's gözleme, Lebanon's manakish, and India's roti, naan, chapati, and paratha.