"Two people caught in the grip of wanderlust, " as Alford and Duguid
describe themselves, this Canadian pair has traveled for nearly two
decades, singly and together, throughout Asia, Europe, the
Mediterranean, North Africa, and North America. As they have pursued
their passions for travel photography and culinary research, they have
found around the world a shared and nourishing element of culture and
cuisine: flatbreads, the simplest, oldest, and most marvelously varied
form of bread known to humankind. Immersing themselves in local
cultures - from the Malaysian island of Penang and the high Himalayan
passes of Tibet to the market stalls of Provence and the pueblos of New
Mexico - Alford and Duguid have studied bread baking and cooking with
local bakers, in family kitchens, with street vendors, and at
neighborhood restaurants and cafes. In Flatbreads and Flavors they share
more than sixty recipes for flatbreads of every origin and description:
tortillas from Mexico, pita from the Middle East, naan from Afghanistan,
chapatti from India, pizza from Italy, and French fougasse. As well,
within each of the eight regional chapters of the book, they provide 150
exuberant recipes for traditional accompaniments to the breads. These
include chutneys and curries, salsas and stews, rich samplings of the
Mediterranean mezze table and the Scandinavian smorgasbord, and such
delectable pairings as Chinese Spicy Cumin Kebabs wrapped in Uighur nan
or Lentils with Garlic, Onion, and Tomato spooned onto chapatti.
Oven-baked, grilled, fried, skillet-baked, steamed, or even baked
beneath the desert sand, flatbreads are a fascinating, satisfying, and
simple form that brings wholesome grains into our diet.They can be made
from every grain imaginable: wheat, rye, corn, oats, millet, sorghum,
teff, rice, buckwheat. They can be unleavened or leavened. They can be
made so thin that they become transparent, or they can be two inches
thick and sliceable. But Flatbreads and Flavors is not
