Bread

Italy

Pizza scima is a traditional flatbread originating from Abruzzo. It's made with a combination of wheat flour, olive oil, water, and salt. Some recipes call for white wine as well. Diamond shapes are etched into the top of the dough, which is subsequently drizzled with olive oil and baked in a coppo (ember-covered concave lid). The name of this flatbread means silly pizza, referring to the fact that it's made without yeast. Once baked, pizza scima should be fragrant with a crunchy crust. It's usually served as a replacement for bread during meals and is meant to be eaten as it is, without any toppings.

Pizza scima

Plain loaf is a traditional bread hailing from Scotland. The bread has a typical dark and hard crust on the top and bottom. On the sides, there is no crust as the bread is baked in batches, and it's later separated, hence the other name for the bread &ndash; batch loaf. This type of bread is taller than other traditional bread slices. The crust ends are thicker, and they're called the heels or the ootsiders. In the past, plain loaf was more widely available in stores, but nowadays it has been replaced by the more common pan loaf.

Plain Loaf

Canada

Ploye is a traditional Acadian flatbread that is often misguidedly labeled as a pancake, which it is not, since it is not flipped. Inexpensive and easy to make, ploye consists of buckwheat flour, wheat flour, water, and baking powder. It is traditionally cooked on one side only, then buttered, drizzled with maple syrup, molasses, or brown sugar. These flatbreads are consumed rolled, and are often paired with baked beans or fricot, a popular chicken stew.

Ploye

Podpłomyk is a traditional flatbread originating from Poland. This simple unyeasted flatbread is usually made with a combination of flour, water, and salt. In the past, the flatbread was made on fire-heated stones, but nowadays it's usually made on the stovetop or cooked in a pan, especially ever since the popularization of interest in premedieval everyday life. Once baked, podpłomyk is typically enjoyed with honey or different types of jam called konfitury. Some people serve it with stews or use it as a tortilla would be used.

Podpłomyk

Slovenia

Pohorc is a traditional bread originating from the Pohorje region. This homemade bread is usually made with a combination of wheat flour, rye flour, yeast, salt, and water. The yeast is mixed with flour, salt, and water in order to make the dough. Once it has doubled in size, the dough is kneaded and shaped into a round loaf. After some time, when it has risen again, the loaf is baked for about an hour in a hot oven until the bread becomes golden brown and crisp. Pohorc is typically enjoyed with local cheese and cold cuts.

Pohorc

Visually similar to a small potato pancake, potato bread farl or fadge is a tasty Irish hash made with mashed potatoes, butter, flour, and salt. The dough is usually rolled and cut into squares or rounds, then baked on a griddle or a frying pan until golden brown in color. The word farl in its name refers to the way it is cut &ndash; usually into triangles. It first appeared at the beginning of the 20th century when people found a way to use leftover mashed potatoes. Today, potato bread farl is a staple of the traditional Irish breakfast known as Ulster Fry.

Potato Bread Farl

An essential part of every full Scottish breakfast, potato scone - or tattie scone, as they call it in Scotland - is a regional variant of the savory griddle scone made with mashed potatoes, butter, and flour. Even though tattie scones are most often served with fried eggs, porridge, bacon, sliced sausage, or the oat-studded black pudding, they can alternatively be enjoyed with jam and a cup of tea. These breakfast staples are traditionally eaten hot, while the cold ones are usually reheated either by toasting or frying.

Potato Scone

Croatia

Prigorska pogača is a Croatian bread made with a combination of flour, yeast, oil, eggs, sugar, milk, and salt. The dough is then brushed with a mixture of egg yolks and milk, and the bread is baked in the oven. It is recommended to serve the bread while it is still warm, although it is also delicious when it cools down.

Prigorska pogača

Pri&scaron;ka is an unleavened bread originating from the Croatian city of Benkovac. It consists of flour, salt, and water. In order to prepare it, the dough should be rolled in a circle, with a thickness of about 2 centimeters. The dough is then placed on a wooden surface with a long handle, called lopar, and it is baked under the lid called peka for about 30 minutes. Traditionally, the bread is torn into pieces by hand while it is still warm.

Priška

Proja is a traditional cornbread made with a combination of cornmeal, salt, and water. As soon as milk, beaten eggs, and butter or oil are added to this peasant dish, it's no longer a cornbread but a savory pie called projara, projanica, razlevak, or muruzara, depending on which part of Serbia you find yourself in. After it has been baked in a pan, projara is typically cut into squares and served warm. It should be crusty on all sides, and since it's a bit dry, it is recommended to pair it with cheese, yogurt, pavlaka, pasulj (bean stew), sauerkraut, sarma, or cracklings. Proja was a peasant staple back in the day, but nowadays it's a common everyday meal.

Proja / Projara

Poland

Incredibly similar to Irish soda bread, the soft proziaki are traditional Polish bread rolls that originally hail from the Subcarpathian region and date back to the 19th century. Though the recipes vary across the region, they typically consist of flour, baking soda (proza), and the choice of milk, sour milk, water, sour cream, buttermilk, or kefir. In the past, they were baked on old-fashioned stove tops, but nowadays they are commonly dry-baked on classic pans. Proziaki can be paired with sweet or savory ingredients such as butter, cheese, or marmalades.

Proziaki

Puccia (pucce) bread is a traditional bread from the Puglia region, known for its soft, chewy texture and round shape reaching up to 20 cm (8") in diameter. It is typically made from durum wheat flour, baked in a wood-fired oven, very hollow with very little crumb. Puccia can be eaten plain or stuffed with a variety of fillings, including cured meats, cheeses, and vegetables, making it a versatile sandwich bread. The bread is especially popular during festivals in Puglia and is similar to pita in that it can be split and filled with ingredients. Salento and Taranto are the regions where this bread can be most often seen.

Puccia

Puddica, a simple Italian flatbread from Puglia consists of a dough (made with flour, yeast, salt, sugar, water, and olive oil) that is traditionally topped with ripe tomatoes and sprinkled with oregano in the classic version. However, there are varieties with added capers, onions, prosciutto, black olives, and hot peppers. The flatbread is placed into a deep dish, then baked until it develops a nice golden brown color. Puddica is especially popular in Brindisi, where it's considered a local specialty that is consumed either as a light lunch with cheese or as a tasty afternoon snack.

Puddica

India

Pudina paratha is a traditional flatbread originating from North India. This paratha variety is flavored with mint, hence the name, as pudina means mint. The unleavened flatbread is made with a combination of wheat flour, oil or ghee, salt, water, and mint leaves. Once prepared and shaped, the dough is sprinkled with a spice mix consisting of roasted mint leaves, cumin seeds, and fennel seeds. The flatbread is cooked in a tandoor or on a tawa griddle until crisp and fully cooked. It&rsquo;s usually served hot or warm as an accompaniment to dal dishes or curries. For the best experience, try pudina paratha with a cup of tea on the side.

Pudina paratha

United States

Pueblo bread is a traditional bread originating from New Mexico, where it's usually prepared by Native Pueblo tribes. The bread is made with a combination of wheat flour, lard or butter, water, and a pinch of salt. The dough is kneaded and left to rise overnight, and in the morning it's baked in a beehive-shaped outdoor oven known as a horno. Once baked, the bread should have a tough crust, a dense crumb, and a tender mouthfeel. It's often served as an accompaniment to thick bean stews or chile pozole, but it also makes a nice sandwich bread when thinly sliced.

Pueblo Bread

Germany

This heavy and slightly sweet rye bread is made from a sourdough starter and coarsely ground rye with whole rye berries as its base. Its name comes from the German pumpern, a synonym for being flatulent, and the male given name Nickel&mdash;a form of the name Nicholas&mdash;which was commonly associated with the devil in New High German vernacular. Thus, pumpernickel literally translates to "devil&rsquo;s fart," which is a definition accepted by most publishers and dictionaries, however strange it may sound. The traditional German pumpernickel contains no coloring agents, but instead relies on the Maillard reaction to impart a deep brown color and a sweet, almost chocolatey and earthy flavor and aroma. Apart from being delicious, pumpernickel is rich in resistant starch which is known to aid digestion and benefit blood sugar regulation.

Pumpernickel

Pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador, a thick, stuffed, skillet-cooked corn tortilla, traditionally served with a side of tomato salsa and coleslaw. Pupusas are almost always handmade, sold at numerous street corners in the country and eaten by hand. A fundamental food of Salvadorian cuisine, the dish also has its day - the second Sunday in November, or National Pupusas Day, stressing the importance of this beloved street food, when pupusa-eating contests take place on the streets of El Salvador. It was created by a tribe of native Salvadorans called the Pipil or Cuzcatlecs, but it wasn't until the 1900s that pupusas became popular in El Salvador, and eventually, in the rest of the world. The corn flour tortillas, which are well cooked when dark spots appear on each side, are usually filled with cheese, fried beans, and chicharr&oacute;nes, although there are other combinations filled with chicken, pork, or shrimps. Pupusas can often be found at tiny restaurants called pupuserias. After the meal, hot chocolate is the most common accompaniment to this flavourful dish.

Pupusa

Puran poli is a sweet flatbread that is traditionally made during Ganesha Chaturthi, a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Lord Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvati. Originating from the state of Maharashtra, the flatbread consists of flour, turmeric powder, salt, water and ghee (Indian clarified butter), and the sweet filling consists of black gram lentils, jaggery (cane sugar) and cardamom powder. The name of the dish refers to the stuffing called puran, while the outer layer (flatbread) is called poli. Puran poli can be made three to four days in advance and is usually eaten hot, for breakfast, as a snack, or as a dessert after the main meal.

Puran poli

Puri is an unleavened, fried Indian bread made with water, finer or coarser wheat flour, and occasionally cumin seeds. The dough is rolled into flat round shapes and fried in copious amounts of vegetable oil or ghee. During frying, the dough absorbs oil and puri acquires the typical puffy appearance, crispy texture, and an appealing golden color. Occasionally, uncooked puri is punctured to produce a flat variety of the bread. It is consumed across the Indian subcontinent, but its origin is probably in the northern regions, where wheat flour was more usually employed. Most commonly, puri is consumed as a side dish, alongside creamy and spicy curries or a variety of vegetable dishes. It also represents an important breakfast staple and is commonly served during festivities and on special occasions. In some Indian states, it is also served as an accompaniment to sweet dishes, such as the creamy mango pulp or semolina halwa. Typical varieties include the spicy puri variety, a stuffed version filled with mashed potatoes, and the ones incorporating mashed or grated vegetables.

Puri

Onion kulcha is a traditional flatbread originating from the northern parts of India. This kulcha variety is stuffed with onions. It&rsquo;s made with a combination of wheat flour, dahi, oil, salt, milk, and a leavening agent &ndash; in this case, baking powder. The filling is made with a combination of chopped onions, cumin seeds, coriander leaves, and salt, while hot chili peppers are an optional addition. Once shaped, the round dough is stuffed with the filling and the flatbread is then cooked in a tandoor. After it&rsquo;s been baked, onion kulcha is brushed with butter, if desired, and it&rsquo;s then usually served with green chutneys on the side.