Bread,

Iranians enjoy a rich variety of bread, from the four conventional types that are found in almost all areas around the country to the types that belong to special cities or villages.

Since Iranians tend to serve bread besides most of their meals, bakeries are very commonplace and can easily be found in all neighborhoods, you just need to follow the smell of the freshly-baked bread.

Snagak, taftoun, barbari, and lavash are the four conventional types of bread. Both the conventional types and the local ones are baked in flat shapes.

Sangak

Sangak bread, which many believe is the most popular and delicious one, is baked in the shape of a long triangular and is usually offered with a sesame topping. It is baked with whole wheat flour and so has a kind of brownish look.

Sangak takes its name from the Persian word “sang” meaning stone or pebble and refers to the way it is baked. The bread is baked in a large oven in which the dough is laid on a surface covered with hot pebbles. These pebbles give sangak its trademark appearance.

“Kebab” and “Abgousht”, a traditional Iranian stew, are almost always served with this meter-long bread. Unquestionably, they go greatly with each other.

Barbari

Barbari is one of the thickest types of bread Iranians bake

Still thin compared to foreign loaves of bread, barbari is one of the thickest types of bread Iranians bake. It has a long oval shape and its surface usually has some furrows. Similar to sangak, barbari is also sometimes given a sesame topping.

If laziness does not get in the way, Iranians would love to have freshly-baked barbari on their breakfast table. Undoubtedly, barbari tastes heavenly with butter and jam or cheese.

Although Iranians rank sangak number one, many foreign visitors vote barbari as the best Iranian bread.

Lavash

Lavash is the thinnest bread baked in the country; about two millimeters. It comes mostly in three shapes: circular, rectangular as well as oval shapes.

It ish almost white and has a very soft texture. All these features, besides it being one of the cheapest, lavash is consumed by different types of household. Lavash is the first type of bread that Iranian mothers opt for when they want to prepare a sandwich for their children to munch on at school because it can be simply rolled and does not let its stuff easily out.

Taftoun

There is not much of a difference between lavash and taftoun regarding their appearance and taste, but to be exact taftoun is a bit thicker and more delicious. Another difference would be that taftoun has many bubbles on the surface.

Taftoun is normally baked in circles and has many tiny holes, like a sieve.

The Importance of Bread in Iranian Culture

The smell of bread can be found in many Iranian traditions and customs.  In the past bread was the dominant staple item in a great part of Iran and lives were heavily dependent on it, for this, it has always been treated with respect.

In some cities of Iran bread is one of the many items placed on the Sofreh Aghd, which is a table or spread where the bride and the groom sit awaiting their marriage announcement.

Iranian show a special behavior once they see a piece of bread left on the ground where it might be trampled. They pick up the piece, give it a kiss, and then lay it somewhere that human feet are less likely to reach, but creatures like cats or birds might be able to feed on that.

However, this beautiful behavior has a bit faded away throughout time and is mostly performed by the elderly.

A Word of Advice

If you miss the chance to taste Iranians’ bread variety while in the country, you would not be a bread-winner, you would be a BREAD LOSER.

Take Action

If you are interested in trying Iranian’s homemade food as well as its conventional and local bread, we recommend you our Hospitality Tour.