500 Pizzas & Flatbreads

Flatbread has existed for as long as humans have been grinding grains, mixing the resulting flour with water, and baking over hot coals. And for almost just as long, people have made these flatbreads more interesting by covering them with other assorted ingredients. It is the oldest variety of prepared food – one that appears all over the globe, but that takes on different shapes and textures from region to region, depending on which basic ingredients are available in that part of the world. Ancient Greeks called theirs “plakuntos” and covered them with blends of herbs, garlic, and onion. The Aztecs called theirs “tlaxcalli” and made them with maize, which had first been soaked in water mixed with lime to help remove the husks and soften the grain. Many flatbread recipes have survived through the ages and remain close to those original culinary discoveries. They feature flours made from one or more grains – wheat, millet, rye, maize, rice, and buckwheat, to name but a few. They may also be made from grated tubers or root vegetables, such as potatoes, cassava, beetroots and turnips. With the advent of the global food market, those living in urban areas and even those removed from the city – with access to the Internet and home delivery – can taste flavours from far-off countries and evoke memories of ancient civilizations in their own home kitchens. Flatbreads fall into two main categories – those leavened with yeast or another leavening agent, and those that are unleavened. In the category of leavened flatbread, pizza is the one that has become a truly international phenomenon over the past 60 years, although focaccias, pittas, naans, and others have been gaining more widespread popularity. What sets pizza apart from other flatbreads is the use of tomato as the main topping ingredient. This became common practice around Naples in the eighteenth century and rapidly grew in fame throughout Italy. One hundred years later, pizza was brought to the United States by Italian immigrants and began another metamorphosis. Pizzerias began appearing in cities throughout the country and soon different trends in pizza-making started to emerge, with such delicious results as the Chicago deep-dish pizza, thin base pizzas and pan pizzas. introduction 7 In response to these developments, Neapolitan pizza makers formed an association in 1984 to protect the characteristics of the original Neapolitan pizza, imposing specific rules to be obeyed in order for a pizza to qualify as authentically Neapolitan. The association accepts only Marinara and Margherita Pizzas made entirely by hand – no mixers or rolling pins allowed. They must measure no more than 30 cm (12 in) across and be baked in a wood-fired oven for no more than a minute and a half. Fortunately, the “True Neapolitan Pizza Association” will not be inspecting your kitchen, so have fun and experiment with your favorite topping combinations. Whichever recipe you try first, when you take part in this time-honored process, you are sure to enjoy the results.
Publishing Year 2017
Cover Type Hard Cover
Publishing House Kalimat Quarto
ISBN 978-9948-02-630-3
79.00 AED
In stock
SKU
978-9948-02-630-3
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