16 Flatbreads From Around the World

A folded flatbread layered with plenty of cheese and tomato sauce, scacce ragusane is a Sicilian street food staple. Here, Chef John substitutes provolone for the traditional caciocavallo cheese, resulting in a treat so delicious that reviewer Trevor Spaulding says, "Three hungry teenagers gobbled it up. Kids gave me the green light to make it again."

Focaccia has been around for centuries, and is one of Italy's most popular breads of any kind. This mouthwatering rendition tops it with olive oil, rosemary, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese, though Romano or Asiago cheese make excellent substitutes.

Pitas are yeast-leavened pockets of goodness that can be filled with anything from falafel and tahini sauce to chicken, avocado, and yogurt. While this particular recipe calls for a bread machine, one reviewer says a KitchenAid mixer worked just as well.

Here's a recipe that is both easy-to-make and versatile, and results in 10 flatbread 'loaves'.  One reviewer served them alongside black bean dips and fried plantains, another topped them with grilled chicken, caramel onions, prosciutto, and a crumbling of blue cheese. You can even leave out the garlic if you're not a fan.

The pancake-like farinata is made from chickpea (aka garbanzo bean) flour. To produce its crispy-edged, crusty surface and creamy interior, an extremely hot oven is essential. It's especially popular in southeast France (where it's known as socca) and northwest Italy.

"Each tribe has their own recipe for fry bread. This is a recipe that I came across as a teenage girl while staying at my great-grandma's house. Grandma was Native American, and I found that this recipe creates a delicious fry bread for Indian tacos. Fry bread is commonly used for making Indian tacos, but is also good with honey butter or cinnamon-sugar and butter for a dessert. Warm milk can be substituted for the water." —thedailygourmet

Naan is a staple at Indian restaurants across the U.S., often paired with dishes like chicken tikka masala and saag paneer. You can make this leavened, oven-baked flatbread with garlic or without. While the recipe calls for broiling the dough, one reviewer cooked it on a griddle instead — giving the results five stars.

It's spongy, fermented, and gluten-free. The main ingredient in injera is teff flour, derived from an ancient North African grain. Once cooked, you can use it as both a base for and to scoop up delicious stews like meat curry and doro wat (Ethiopian chicken stew).

Another Indian flatbread, chapati (aka roti) is unleavened and takes less than 20 minutes to prep and griddle. "It doesn't get much easier than this!" Says reviewer Lake Villa Guatemala. Another reviewer suggests pairing chapati with spicy foods like shrimp curry or chicken korma to bring out the bread's mild flavor.

Lahmacun refers to both the flatbread and the dish itself, a thin and crispy dough topped with minced meat (typically lamb) and minced veggies and herbs —including tomatoes, onions, cumin, and cayenne pepper— all baked together in hot oven. Recipe creator Lysis then drizzles it with homemade garlic sauce, tops it with shredded cabbage, and then rolls each one (the recipe produces 10) up for eating. It's a lengthy process, so make sure you're up for it.

Chef John is at it again, this time with his own take on lefse, a soft Norwegian flatbread made with potato, flour, and heavy cream. He recommends serving it with a combo of smoked salmon, sour cream, and fresh dill, or more like a blintze topped with sour cream and berry jam.

"Great tasting," say several of the reviewers of this whole wheat tortilla recipe. Once you make them, you can use them for everything from soft tacos to black bean and corn quesadillas.

Paratha is an unleavened Indian flatbread that's denser and chewier than chapati. In this recipe, it's stuffed with a spicy shrimp mixture that includes onions, eggs, and chile pepper. Reviewer Vivnidhi says substituting tofu for prawns went over well in their household.

A daily part of life throughout the Balkan Peninsula, lepinja is "somewhere between a pita and focaccia," according to recipe provider BigShotsMom. It easily absorbs flavors, and is traditionally served with minced beef or lamb meat. Reviewer Lisa Villont suggests a spread of cucumber yogurt and sliced tomatoes and onions for even more flavor.

Although the starter for this slightly sour bread takes four days to make, reviewer Tunisianswife says "it's worth the wait." Serve it with Havarti cheese or, as reviewer Emaperu recommends, soup. The bread is often sprinkled with sesame seeds before baking.

Anise seed is the key ingredient in this Moroccan flatbread made with bread flour and semolina flour. "This bread was just like the bread I had in Morocco," says jsmith. "Sooo good. I ate it with baked chicken and potatoes the Moroccan way."