Bread has always been the main food for the Kurds. There have been different types of bread in different parts of Kurdistan, and at different times there might have been a more popular bread type than the others. What is known to be bread and what is not has always been controversial among people but perhaps the main characteristic of bread is to be made of flour, to be the main food in peoples’ tables i.e. it was consumed more than any other food to prevent starvation and to be used as a part of every meal.
We can point out some general facts about bread in the East part of Kurdistan, that is we can identify some points about Kurdish types of bread; although Kurdistan might be under the impression of other parts of Iran and other parts of the world by applying new technology in the bread production industry, there might be some new types of bread that are not similar to what was once known as “bread” in this area in the past by the people.
In the past, they used to make bread with wheat, barley, or millet flour which were not sifted so all the components would remain and they were considered to have better quality. Most of the time bread was made of wheat flour but sometimes they made bread with barely flour or even for a cheaper price they made bread with millet flour, too. They might have used other kinds of cereal in times of need to avoid starvation for example in the mountainous areas they have used oak tree flour to mix it with other kinds of flour.
We can classify bread based on four points:
1. What the raw material is: wheat, barley, millet, corn, …
2. How thick the bread is
3. Whether the flour is mixed or pure
4. What kind of oven has been used to make the bread
However, what is known as bread for the people of East part of Kurdistan is that to be made of wheat flour, to be thin which means it should be spread out as much to be thin, and finally to be baked.
The most popular bread types in the East part of Kurdistan:
Tanour baked bread
The most common type of bread in the past in the cities and villages of the East part of Kurdistan has been Tanour baked bread (tanour is a deep hole made of clay, they use wooden logs to make fire and bake bread with it). The bread baked in the tanour is a thin one about 1 to 2 millimeters thick. The dough is often spread to make a big oval shape but sometimes in a circular shape. If there is no bakery around that makes this kind of bread, it could be found in the restaurants that serve Kabab. This kind of bread is consumed by people of the city and the village with some minor differences in making it. In other parts of Iran, they call this type of bread Lavash, originally an Armenian word that served this type of bread long before the Iranians. It is made of flour, water, salt, and bread yeast. It is similar to the type of bread made on Saj (a round metal dish to bake bread on it) among people in the villages.
Machinery type of bread
It is the same as the bread that is baked in tanour but the whole process of making the dough, dividing it into small parts, spreading it, and baking it is done by a machine, not by hand. It is not as delicious as the handmade type of bread.
Bread containing bran
The bran type of bread is very common nowadays since it is much healthier for those who suffer from diabetes. This bread is made with machines, not tanour. The Persian name of this type of bread is popular among Kurds, too. They call it Nan Sabous or Sabousdar which means bread containing bran. Generally, any kind of bread containing bran is considered healthier.
Sangak bread
This type of bread was not popular among Kurds in the past but in the other parts of Iran, it is a popular one. This type of bread is as thick as 6 to 7 millimeters and it is also very long. It is made of a particular type of flour. It is baked in a tanour or a big hole in the wall filled with very hot stones. A person has to put the dough on a flat piece of wood and spread it so that they could put the dough on the hot stones and after a few minutes they take the bread out of the tanour or the wall with a long metal stick. It is a bread containing bran and it is often used for the breakfast.
Barbary bread
This type of bread is also from other parts of Iran. People say that Barbary bread is more common in Turkish cities in Iran. This bread is as thick as 2 centimeters.
Baguette bread
This type of bread is used to make sandwiches and people do not buy it in the bakery but rather in supermarkets. It is not a type of bread to be found on people’s tables. The food courts or fast food restaurants use it.
