If it is bread that you seek, you will have bread. If it is the soul you seek, you will find the soul. If you understand this secret, you know you are that which you seek - Jalal ad Din Muhammad Balkhi, also known as Rumi, 13th Century Persian Poet

About 30,000 years ago in Europe, flour was processed into unleavened bread. A substance was used in the dough, causing a foaming action that lightened and softened the bread. By 10,000 years ago, with the domestication of wheat and barley, bread became a staple food in the diet of people in the Fertile Crescent. From there, wheat-based agriculture spread to Europe, North Africa, and the Indian Subcontinent. In the eastern parts of Asia, rice was made into bread, as was maize in the Americas and sorghum (from the grass family) in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Fertile Crescent. Photo: Encyclopedia Britannica

Villagers Harvesting Wheat in Iraq.
Photo: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-
crisis-wheat-idUSKCN0HP12J20140930

The dependence on bread marked a major turning point in human history. By creating this alternative agricultural system, societies were able to sustain much larger populations, abandon their foraging and hunter-gathering ways, and become farmers. This led to economic specialization, social complexity, and the rise of civilized states.

The earliest archaeological evidence of the development of raised bread, either through the use of yeast or the adding of gas to the dough during baking, is from Ancient Egypt.

 

A Painting From the Tomb of Menna Showing Egyptians Harvesting Wheat and Making Bread. 1,400 BC.
Photo: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2627053/Were-ancient-Egyptians-
VEGETARIAN-Carbon-analysis-suggests-ate-fruit-wheat-barley-not-fish.html

The original bread, made around 30,000 years ago, was made by combining roasted and ground cereal with water to create a grain paste and then cooking it. To this day, the descendants of these first breads are still being made all over the world with various kinds of grains. Some examples are the Armenian/Iranian lavash, Iranian sangak and taftoon, Mexican tortilla, Indian chapatti, roti, and naan, Scottish oatcake, North American johnnycake, Jewish matzo, Middle Eastern pita, and Ethiopian injera.

North American Johnnycake, Which is Not a Cake, But a Bread.
Photo: http://eatingtheirwords.blogspot.com/2010/04/little-house-in-big-woods-johnny-cake.html 

Scottish Oatcakes.
Photo: http://www.smokedsalmon.co.uk/shop-baker-scottish-oatcakes+pp+ns_baoa

The Breads of Iran

Some of the Breads of Iran.
Photo: https://mosta6il.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/
caveman-in-mashhad-bread-nostalgia/

Sangak:

Sangak bread, first mentioned in the 11^th century, is a triangular, leavened flatbread made with whole wheat and sometimes topped with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Sangak is baked on a bed of small river stones in an oven. Its name means Little Stone in Persian; sang meaning stone and the added ak suggests the diminutive of the noun/adjective. This is similar to the Spanish usage of ito/ita: Juan, Juanito; poco, poquito. Sangak is also consumed in Azerbaijan.

Sangak Bread Baking on Small River Stones
Photo: Hossein Zohrevand

Sangak was the bread of the army, with each soldier carrying a small amount of pebbles with them. At camp, these pebbles were put together to create the oven and the bread was baked for the entire army. Once the bread was baked, it was eaten with lamb kababs, with the meat rolled into the bread. Sangak is one of the favorite breads of Iran and is consumed every day, especially for breakfast.

Sangak and Kabab
Photo: http://www.iranchamber.com/recipes/meat/kabab_koobideh.php  

Sangak Bread and Fried Eggs.
Photo: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/a9/71/
be/a971becf44f361c28e5eb7afca337ca2.jpg

Traditional Iranian Breakfast.
Photo: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/
b9/bd/d0/b9bdd0a8bfcfe16d252f157a5a4c732d.jpg

Lavash:

Lavash is a soft, thin unleavened flatbread made in a traditional oven called tanoor and made with flour, water, and salt. The thickness of the bread depends on how thick or thin it is rolled. The dough is rolled out flat and then slapped against the hot walls of a clay oven. The bread is very flexible when fresh and makes excellent wrap sandwiches. Lavash dries up quickly and loses its softness. It is then stored and used over a long period of time, especially during Eucharist (Holly Comunion) traditions by the Armenian Apostolic Church. It can be sprinkled with water to soften again.

Lavash Bread.
Photo: http://hubpages.com/food/FlatBread-Recipe-Armenian-Lavash

Lavash is eaten not only in Iran, but all over the Caucasus (the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea), Western Asia, and the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea. It is the most popular bread in Iran, Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan.  

Lavash bread has strong roots in Iran and Armenia, and is usually called Armenian Flatbread.

 

Women Baking Lavash Bread in Armenia.
Photo: http://travels21.com/news/food_wine_experiences_in_armenia/2015-01-29-7

Barbari

Barbari bread is made with wheat, water, salt, and sourdough culture and is between 27 to 31 inches long and 10 to 11 inches wide. The dough is rolled out and then the surface of the dough is pressed down with the tip of the fingers and baked in a brick, stone, or clay oven.  

Barbari Bread is Made by Pressing Down With the Tip of the Fingers.

Photo:  IRNA Islamic Republic News Agency

Barbari Breads Baking in the Oven.
Photo: IRNA Islamic Republic News Agency

Barbari Bread at a Bakery.
Photo: https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=28933.0

Barbari Bakers.
Photo: https://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=28933.0

Barbari has a crisp top and bottom with soft baked dough in the middle and is an excellent base for thick pizza. 

Barbari Pizza.
Photo: http://nancys-notebook.blogspot.com/2011/03/barbari-bread-pizza.html

Barbari is served with feta cheese and Sabzi Khordan which, in Persian, literally means Green Eating. Sabzi Khordan consists of vegetable greens and herbs such as mint, scallion, basil, parsley, radish, dill, coriander leaves, tarragon, and Persian shallot. Sabzi Khordan comes as a side dish served prior to the serving of the main course. 

Sabzi Khordan or "Green Eating".
Photo: http://www.bottomofthepot.com/2013/08/a-platter-of-fresh-herbs-balancing-act.html 

Barbari Bread and Sabzi Khordan.
Photo: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/2b/d8/61/2bd861878347377786306d9b9f59b90a.jpg

Barbari bread is also one of the popular traditional breads, consumed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Traditional Iranian Breakfast with Barbari Bread.
Photo: http://persianmama.com/

Another Traditional Iranian Breakfast with Barbari Bread.
Photo: http://persianmama.com/ 

Taftoon

Taftoon is a leavened flour bread made with milk, yoghurt, eggs, saffron, cardamom, and decorated with poppy seeds. It is usually round and baked in a traditional oven. Taftoon is eaten in Pakistan and northern India also.

Taftoon Bread.
Photo: http://persiandelightuk.com/category/beverages/

Taftoon Bread and Kashke Bademjoon, an Iranian Eggplant Dish.
Photo: http://persiandelightuk.com/category/beverages/

Noon Shirmal

Noon Shirmal literally means Rubbed Milk Bread in Persian. It is a sweet bread made with flour, yeast, warm milk, sugar and saffron with slight regional variations in its preparation. Due to the variation in preparation, Noon Shirmal is often taken as a souvenir when traveling between regions in Iran. Shirmal resembles Danish pastry, Jewish challah bread, and French brioche. It is made round and rectangular.

Noon Shirmal is also made in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.

Rectangular Noon Shirmal,
Photo: http://www.aashpazi.com/shirmal-bread

Round Noon Shirmal.
Photo: http://www.boldsky.com/cookery/vegetarian/maincourse/indian-
breads/sheermal-ramzan-special-sweet-bread-recipe-041541.html

Jewish Challah Bread.
Photo: https://beccabakesblog.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/my-first-attempt-bread-challah/

French Brioche.
Photo: http://pastryandsports.blogspot.com/2013/07/brioche-tete-brioche-longue.html

These are the most popular breads in Iran. However, there are many other kinds of breads which are exclusive to certain regions and to certain tribes. Now if this blog is making you crave for some Iranian bread but you don't live in Iran, you're in luck if you live in Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York City, London, or Paris. If not, you can always order online..... Happy Bread Eating!