In the cuisine of the peoples of the Caucasus, lavash gained the greatest fame and popularity. It is a thinly rolled cake made of yeast-free dough. Scones are baked in special large clay ovens called toners. For Slavs, such bread is somewhat unusual, because we are used to eating yeast dough. But there are several qualities by which, in comparison with our bread, pita bread wins: calorie content is low, and in addition, pita bread retains its freshness for a long time. Unlike bread, pita bread should not be stored in a bag - there it can only mold. It is stored in a dry place, and before serving to the table, it is enough to sprinkle a dry tortilla with water and slightly warm in the oven, like pita bread will be like freshly baked.
There is a huge variety of pita bread - similar cakes are among the peoples of Central Asia and the Middle East. The most popular type of Asian bread in our country is Armenian lavash. Its calorie content is very low, therefore it is recommended to eat to people who want to lose weight. The fact is that dough from durum wheat, from which flour is made for pita bread, at its low calorie content, gives a feeling of satiety. Armenians even call envelopes from freshly baked pita bread “child deception”. Since the process of kneading dough and baking pita bread is rather laborious, the hostess usually did not have time to prepare another meal on such a day, so the child was given an envelope of freshly baked pita bread with some filling.
And here we see another plus of pita bread: it can be served not only as bread for main dishes, but it can also be included in main dishes. Thin, rather strong and flexible cakes are perfect for wrapping any stuffing in them: greens and vegetables, meat cut into pieces like shawarma, feta cheese, grated cheese, sausage and even porridge. If you still have some products in small quantities, feel free to wrap them in pita bread - the calorie content of the dish will not increase very much. Pita bread with meat filling is very tasty when it is served with transparent broths.
Pita breads are sold in our supermarkets and markets. But, when buying pita bread, you should pay attention to the ingredients. The fact is that some manufacturers of bakery products go "along the knurled path" and bake cakes in the Slavic way - from yeast dough. But after all, low calorie pita bread is achieved by the fact that the dough for it is prepared without yeast: from durum wheat with the addition of vegetable oil in flour. Pita bread is baked in a very hot special oven on metal sheets for only a few minutes: this is enough to thinly rolled cakes baked. If yeast is included in the composition of the pita test, the cakes will not be stored for a long time - they will become stained or moldy. In principle, this will no longer be lavash: its caloric content will increase sharply due to the content of yeast sticks. And the taste of the cake is lost.
Classic pita bread is prepared with the addition of refined olive oil. They are greased with sheets on which cakes are baked. If you grease baking dishes with margarine or other vegetable or animal fat, then carcinogenic substances are formed in the oven, at a high baking temperature (which is how baked pita bread should be baked) . This, of course, cannot but affect the qualities that pita bread is so famous for: its calorie content increases, and taste qualities deteriorate. Also, the shelf life of fresh Caucasian bread is also reduced. After hardening, it will not be possible to “revive” it by sprinkling with water and heating in the oven.
This pita bread, prepared according to the classic recipe, can be used in dietary nutrition: in acute forms of diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes mellitus. Pita bread is rich in vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates.