Savouring flavours and traditions...from your kitchens to ours.
There's nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked bread, and the act of making and breaking bread in community with one another is a powerful tradition that can be seen across places and cultures since ancient times.
From everyday staples to celebratory treats, and from the thinnest of flatbreads to the fluffiest of rolls, we can find bread in all kinds of shapes, flavours, and sizes. In an appreciation for the way that this food serves as an integral part of so many cultural experiences, for this list we've highlighted just a few traditional breads that hold significance for people around the world.
1. Challah
This sweet, eggy loaf is baked into symbolic designs (like braided loaves for the 12 tribes of Israel, each represented by a bump). Challah is eaten on special days in Jewish communities, like the Sabbath.
2. Pan de Muerto
Decorated with bone-like pieces, this sweet, soft bread has direct ties to Mexico’s Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Pan de muerto is placed on an altar as an offering for the dead as they return to the land of the living.
3. Pandesal
This sweet, soft and airy bread roll is a Filipino-favourite. As a traditional staple, pandesal has been eaten for generations—it’s so popular that small villages are known to have it delivered in from city bakeries.
4. Bammy
The history of this sweet, nutty flatbread history dates back hundreds of years—bammy was eaten by Jamaica's earliest Indigenous people, the Arawaks.
5. Lavash
This bubbly, thin flatbread is protected under UNESCO as part of Armenia's cultural heritage. Lavash may be placed around newlywed’s shoulders at weddings, as the bread symbolizes prosperity and good fortune.
6. Shaobing
This sweet or savoury sesame seed flatbread comes with a rich history. Legends trace shaobing's beginnings in Northern China's Shandong province back to the Han Dynasty, making it one of the region's oldest known traditional foods.
7. Dampfnudel
This sweet or savoury steamed dumpling comes with a unique story. A 17th-century German baker is said to have appeased a threatening army by making Dampfnudeln for them, and the town still celebrates this heritage story to this day with an annual festival.
8. Injera
This tangy, spongy flatbread originates in Ethiopia and can be traced back to ancient times. Injera doubles as a mealtime platter and its texture is perfect for soups, stews, and sauces.
9. Bannock
With traditional bannock recipes found from coast to coast, this doughy fried bread has become a cultural icon in Indigenous communities—references to bannock can be found across cultural films and other media.
