Bread

Canada

This bagel variety came to Montreal with the wave of Eastern European Jewish immigrants during the early 1900s. There are varying theories about the creator of the first Montreal-style bagel &ndash; some claim it was a baker named Isadore Schlafman, while others say it was Hyman Seligman from Dvinsk, who sold them from a horse-drawn carriage. Before baking, these bagels are boiled in kettles of honey water. Unlike New York-style bagels, these contain no salt and are less dense, with a slightly sweeter flavor. They are rolled and cut by hand and have a large hole in the center. Because Montreal bagels are wood-fired, it results in a crispy exterior and a chewy interior of the dough. Traditionally, they are available in two varieties &ndash; sesame seed bagels and poppy seed bagels.

Montreal-style bagel

India

Mooli paratha is a traditional flatbread and a type of paratha, originating from Punjabi cuisine. For this paratha variety, the flatbread is stuffed with grated white radish or daikon that should be fresh and tender. The leftover water from the radish can be added to the paratha dough, while the grated radish stuffing is often enriched with finely chopped green chili peppers, garam masala, red chili powder, and salt. Once stuffed and shaped, mooli paratha is fried in oil or ghee on a tawa until slightly browned and puffed up. It's recommended to brush mooli paratha with more ghee or butter on top, then serve it with pickles or chutneys.

Mooli paratha

South Africa

Mosbolletjies are traditional yeasted buns originating from South Africa's Western Cape. They're usually made with a combination of flour, butter, milk, sugar, yeast, aniseed, grape juice, and salt. Flour is mixed with salt, sugar, aniseed, and yeast. The mixture is then added to the liquid ingredients &ndash; milk, water, grape juice, and melted butter. The dough is kneaded until soft and left to rise until doubled. Pieces of dough are shaped into balls that are baked until golden brown. Mosbolletjies are brushed with sugar syrup and eaten warm. It's recommended to eat the sweet bread with butter and honey. Serve it with a cup of coffee or tea for an authentic experience. Mosbolletjies can also be dried and made into rusks called mosbeskuit.

Mosbolletjies

Czech Republic

A regional delicacy of the city of Poln&aacute;, these soft, round buns consist of leavened dough that is filled with grated, vanilla-flavored carrots, and occasionally enriched with fennel, anise, poppy seeds, or rum. The buns are traditionally prepared every second Sunday in September, when an important pilgrimage takes place. Allegedly, mrkvance were created due to the abundance of carrots in the area, later becoming an important part of their tradition. They are usually consumed as a snack or a dessert, and it is recommended to serve them dusted with powdered sugar.

Mrkvance

M'semen is a traditional Maghrebi flatbread made with a combination of flour, semolina, sugar, salt, yeast, warm water, oil, and clarified butter. The dough is kneaded until it becomes smooth, and pieces of it are then flattened and shaped into squares. Once the dough has been folded and shaped, it is cooked on a griddle or fried in a pan until it becomes crispy on the exterior and chewy on the inside. Although m'semen is traditionally consumed on its own as an accompaniment to coffee or tea, it can also be stuffed with various meats and vegetables. In Tunisia, the flatbread is often based on semolina flour and made without yeast.

M'semen

Italy

Mugello is a traditional bread originating from Tuscany. It's made with natural yeast, stone-milled Mugello wheat flour, water, and just a bit of salt. The dough is shaped into an oval filone loaf that's baked in a wood-fired oven. These plain loaves have a crunchy exterior and a soft crumb. The bread remains fresh for at least five days. After that, when it hardens, mugello is often used in the preparation of typical local dishes such as panzanella, pappa con pomodoro, and ribollita.

Mugello

Mughlai paratha is a traditional dish originating from Bengal and dating back to the Mughal Empire. Traditionally, this street food staple consists of a deep-fried paratha stuffed with minced chicken or mutton, but there are a few versions of the dish, so it can be prepared without meat as well. The stuffing typically contains onions, chili peppers, ginger, garlic, eggs, carrots, garam masala powder, coriander, turmeric, cumin, and amchur (dried mango powder). Once assembled, this stuffed paratha is roasted on a hot tawa or fried in oil. The dish is usually served as a snack with raita or curries.

Mughlai paratha

Mullah bread is a traditional flatbread known for its soft, pillowy texture and slightly chewy consistency. It is typically made from basic ingredients such as flour, water, salt, and sometimes a bit of sugar or oil to enhance its texture and flavor. The dough is kneaded until smooth and then left to rise, which helps create its characteristic light and airy structure. After rising, the dough is divided into portions, rolled out into flat rounds, and cooked on a hot griddle or baked in an oven until puffed and lightly browned. Mullah bread is versatile and often used as an accompaniment to a variety of dishes, including stews, soups, and grilled meats. It can also be enjoyed on its own, dipped in olive oil or spread with butter and honey.

Mullah

Saudi Arabia

Muqana bread, a staple in the Al-Bahah region, is a traditional dish deeply ingrained in local culture. It is made with whole wheat flour, salt, and water, and once kneaded, it is left to ferment before baking. Traditionally, approximately 7 kilograms (15 lbs) of flour are needed, and a group of women kneads it. Since pines and saffron are usually grown together with wheat, they are often added. The dough is placed on a large, round stone known as the "prayer" stone that was previously heated over an open flame. Palm tree fronds and shrub bushes are burned over the dough so the bread gains a crust, and then embers are placed over it. The bread is baked, cleaned from ashes and cut into smaller portions, called shitra. It is served with ghee, honey, or meat broth.

Muqana

Naan is a unique and popular flatbread with a chewy texture that has its roots in India. The first documented traces of naan are found in the 1300 AD notes of Amir Kushrau, an Indo-Persian poet. Its name comes from the Persian word for bread. Naan was originally made in two versions at the Imperial Court in Delhi - naan-e-tunuk (light bread) and naan-e-tanuri (baked on the stone walls of a tandoor oven). It consists of white flour, yeast, eggs, milk, salt, and sugar, baked in a tandoor oven. Its typical tear-drop shape is achieved by the way the dough droops as it cooks on the tandoor walls. Many Indian villages had a communal tandoor, placed in the middle of the village so that all the locals could bake naan. There are also many varieties of naan, such as kulcha (the flatbread is stuffed with a filling of nuts and raisins, potatoes, or onions) and garlic naan, topped with butter and crushed garlic. Traditionally, naan is served hot from the oven, slightly charred, brushed with ghee - Indian clarified butter, and it is usually consumed as an accompaniment to a variety of dishes.

Naan

Naan-e afghani is a traditional flatbread made primarily with wheat flour and water. The dough is stretched into an oval or rectangular loaf, brushed with egg wash, and then baked in a hot tandoor oven. The thin bread can be enriched with oil or melted butter and a handful of seeds scattered on top such as sesame seeds, nigella seeds, cumin, caraway, or poppy seeds. Considered the national bread of Afghanistan, naan-e afghani is prepared on a daily basis and is an indispensable part of every Afghan household. The bread is best when eaten right out of the oven, and it is typically used as an accompaniment to almost every Afghan meal.

Naan-e Afghani

Naan-e roghani is a traditional flatbread originating from Afghanistan. Although very similar to classic naan, the roghani has a softer and pillow-like texture due to the extra oil that's added to the dough. It's usually made with a combination of oil, flour, salt, sugar, yeast, milk, sesame seeds, and nigella seeds. The flour is mixed with oil, lukewarm water, salt, sugar, and yeast in order to make a sticky and soft dough. The dough is kneaded and left to double in size. Each ball of dough is flattened and shaped into a circle before it's brushed with milk, sprinkled with nigella and sesame seeds, and then baked until golden brown. Once done, naan-e roghani is typically served for breakfast with green or black tea on the side.

Naan-e roghani

Finnish n&auml;kkileip&auml; is a crispy, thick flatbread that is usually prepared with rye flour and closely resembles Swedish kn&auml;ckebr&ouml;d. It was traditionally round, but today it appears in various forms and can be prepared with seeds and different types of flour. Nowadays it is mainly factory-produced and makes a convenient, quick snack that is often paired with creamy spreads and various toppings.

Näkkileipä

A Burmese version of Indian naan bread, known as nan bya is a soft and chewy flatbread that is often consumed for breakfast. Similar to pita bread, this flatbread has a slightly softer texture than the Indian version, and it is often accompanied by a cup of coffee or tea on the side. The bread is typically brushed with butter or topped with p&egrave; byouk (boiled peas), although it can also be served with mutton soup.

Nan bya

Iran

Nan-e barbari is an Iranian wheat-based, leavened flatbread. It is usually formed into a long oval shape that is traditionally brushed with roomal, a flour glaze which gives it a light golden crust, but keeps it light and airy on the inside. Before it is baked in traditional tandoor ovens, the bread is usually sprinkled with poppy, nigella, or sesame seeds. The name barbari derives from the old disrespectful name used to refer to the Hazaras ethnic group. It is believed they were the ones who originally brought the tradition of preparing nan-e barbari to Tehran and other parts of Iran. This crispy bread is a breakfast staple in Iran; it is best served freshly prepared and accompanied by creamy spreads, cheese, and a variety of fresh vegetables.

Nan-e barbari

Nan-e sangak is a whole wheat leavened flatbread and the national bread of Iran. Its shape can be either triangular or rectangular, and it comes in two main varieties: plain and special, which is topped with poppy and sesame seeds. The name sangak refers to the old method of baking the bread, meaning little stones, because it is traditionally baked in a dome-shaped oven with a surface full of pebbles and stones. The bread can be prepared in a way that its length is about two feet, which is enough to feed a whole family. In the past, sangak was the main bread of the Persian Army, and each soldier carried a bag filled with pebbles, which were used to cook the bread for the whole army. Today, sangak is often decorated when served, especially at festivities such as weddings and New Year. In Iran, the bread is often consumed with lamb kebabs, and it is a typical accompaniment to kale pache, a dish made with sheep's head and feet.

Nan-e sangak

Sheermal is a traditional flatbread made with maida flour, milk, saffron, and yeast. It is characterized by its strong saffron flavor and yellow color. The bread is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven and served warm, preferably with soups or meat dishes such as kebabs and curries. The name sheermal means milk bread, referring to one of its key ingredients, imparting a slightly sweet flavor to the flatbread. For additional sweetness, some cooks like to add dried fruit into the dough. It is believed that sheermal has Persian roots, when numerous Persians traveled to India and Pakistan and learned the secrets of bread-making.

Nan-e shirmal

Nan-e taftoon is an Iranian flatbread that is almost always prepared with whole wheat flour, milk, eggs, and yogurt. The dough is similar to pizza dough, resulting in a chewy, stringy texture. Traditionally, the dough is baked on the walls of a tandoor oven for about a minute, and is then removed from the walls with a metal skewer. Nan-e taftoon is often flavored with cardamom or saffron, while some cooks like to sprinkle it with poppy seeds on top. The bread is mostly eaten with kebabs, but it can be consumed with virtually anything on the side, such as cottage cheese, tomatoes, and bell peppers.

Nan-e taftoon

Nawabi naan is a traditional flatbread and a version of naan. This flatbread is basically a traditional baked naan studded with nuts. The ingredients used to prepare it include plain flour, yeast, sugar, oil, salt, cardamom, rose water, and finely chopped nuts such as almonds, pistachios, and cashews. Once it&rsquo;s been rolled, the dough is sprinkled with nuts, then rolled once again so they stick to the dough. The flatbread is cooked in a tava frying pan, and it&rsquo;s then usually served with spicy curries. When served, nawabi naan is often decorated with edible silver foil.

Nawabi naan

United States

Bagels are an iconic New York City food: boiled, then baked hand-shaped, round rolls with a hole in the middle. It is a small and dense bread with a malty flavor and a dark, shiny, and crunchy exterior which should snap when bitten into it. Originally, they were brought to the United States by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. There is a theory that bagels were popular in the Jewish community because the dough needs to rest for twelve hours before being baked, so it was convenient for Jews to let it rise during the Sabbath, when work is forbidden. New Yorkers claim that their bagels are the best due to the water's softness, as there are low levels of calcium and magnesium that could toughen the dough when combined with gluten. In the past, bagels were made in four original varieties: plain, poppy, salt or sesame, but nowadays they are made with garlic, onion, cinnamon, and raisins, best enjoyed fresh out of the oven and paired with butter, scallions, lox, and cream cheese.