What bread looks like in 15 places around the world (2024)

FAQs

What is bread like in other countries? ›

There are many variations on the basic recipe of bread worldwide, such as bagels, baguettes, biscuits, bocadillo, brioche, chapatis, Challah, lavash, naan, pitas, pizza, pretzels, puris, tortillas, Roti , Paratha and many others.

Bread is a staple in cuisines around the world. Cooking methods and ingredients vary. Some use cornmeal, some use wheat; some are cooked on stoves, and others are baked in ovens.

Bread was so important to Egyptians a long, long time ago that it was used a currency, or money! Kansas wheat farmers provided enough wheat to make bread in 1997 to give everyone on earth six loaves of bread – that's 36.5 billion loaves of bread! Bread is a universal sign of peace in many cultures.

Rye- and spelt-based breads have a coarse, compact, and dense texture, which is a significant deviation from bread in the rest of Europe. Bread in other European countries is predominantly white and fluffy, without much substance. German bread on the other hand is filling and full of flavor.

The biggest difference between American breads versus European breads is the quality of the ingredients used in each bread. Standard, store-bought American bread contains many preservatives and fillers that are banned in European countries.

It remains one of the most widely consumed foods in the world, with at least more than 100 different types of bread available from around the globe – some of which predate many modern societies. Most bread can be categorized into sub-types, such as quick breads, flatbread, and yeast bread.

The USA is popularly known as the breadbasket of the world because it supplies cereals, grains and rice to the whole world. The USA has been having wheat production at a very fast scope since the 19the century.

Iceland. Iceland is considered one of the countries with the best bread in the world, much of which can be attributed to the unique methods it employs for its bread-making. The Icelandic rye bread is high in sugar and is baked underground using bubbling lava sand as the heat source.

Turkey, the nation that holds a Guinness World Record for consuming the most bread. With over 230 pounds of average bread consumption, no country comes even close to Turkey when it comes to eating bread.

Flatbread, the earliest form of bread, is still eaten, especially in much of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. The principal grains used in such breads are corn (maize), barley, millet, and buckwheat—all lacking sufficient gluten (elastic protein) to make raised breads—and wheat and rye.

Why is bread so popular around the world? ›

As a basic food worldwide, bread has come to take on significance beyond mere nutrition, evolving into a fixture in religious rituals, secular cultural life and language. Our bread provides energy for daily living.

It is crusty and not squishy like American Bread. European bread is typically made with a higher protein content flour and may undergo longer fermentation periods, resulting in a chewier texture and more complex flavors.

Iceland. Iceland is considered one of the countries with the best bread in the world, much of which can be attributed to the unique methods it employs for its bread-making. The Icelandic rye bread is high in sugar and is baked underground using bubbling lava sand as the heat source.

In Europe, the majority of wheat grown is soft wheat, lower in proteins and thus lower in gluten content. Fact: American wheat is covered in glyphosate. Glyphosate is a herbicide (main ingredient in Roundup) used on American wheat to kill bacteria, dry out and prepare the wheat crop for harvest.

Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made foods, having been of significance since the dawn of agriculture, and plays an essential role in both religious rituals and secular culture.