Page 28 - Baking Europe Journal - Winter 2022

INDUSTRY RESEARCH
28 WHAT ABOUT FLATBREADS?

FLATBREADS

FLOURISH

Authentic foods with a modern twist

Written by:
factors, i.e., authenticity, health and
nutrition, sustainability, versatility and
availability.

Leveraging the interest in
authenticity
Flatbreads come in a variety of shapes
that are made using diff erent recipes
Fatma Boukid, Ph.D. belonging to diff erent culinary
Senior Project Manager, ClonBio Engineering traditions. Manufacturers promote their
ethnic heritage to create a nostalgic
link between food and consumers.
latbreads are among the come from diff erent culinary regions Among the many marketing strategies
oldest staples in the world. such as India, where frying is used to employed is storytelling. Stories enable
They have a long history: make paratha and poories. There is a brands to create and re-enforce the
starting in the area of Western Asia wide variety of fl atbreads, single- backstories to their foods. This
known as the Fertile Crescent, they layered leavened (e.g., Ethiopian encourages consumers to feel a
gradually became widespread injera), single layered unleavened deeper connection with the features
throughout the Middle East, North (e.g., roti, tortilla and parotha), and of a given product.
and South Africa, Europe, the Indian double-layered (e.g., Arabic fl atbread
subcontinent, China and America. 1 and baladi). Thus, fl atbreads can easily be
The basic ingredients of fl atbreads connected to specifi c cultural
are fl our, salt, water and yeast The production of fl atbreads heritages. The pandemic contributed
(optional). After blending the eventually shifted from artisanal to to re-enforcing these links between
ingredients, the dough is kneaded, industrial and currently these the consumer and their local heritage
leavened (optional), fl attened to a few products are appreciated as a global in baking. In this way, consumers
centimetres and cooked. Cooking is food which is available on all found a kind of reassurance in making
mostly done by baking in an oven or a supermarket shelves. The expansion and consuming traditional fl atbreads,
pan, but there are fl atbreads that of this market is driven by several as it connects them to their roots

“Flatbreads can easily be connected to specifi c

cultural heritages. The pandemic contributed to

re-enforcing these links between the consumer

and their local heritage in baking.”

BAKINGEUROPE Winter 2022/2023
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