Vegetarian: Breads and Staples

What diners think of as breads and staples varies tremendously from country to country. Plump, crusty loaves of bread are familiar sights on tables in North America and Europe. Most Indian breads, on the other hand, have no leavening agent like yeast, so they do not rise when they are cooked. Chapati, the most popular kind of Indian bread, is a flat, pancake-shaped bread that looks something like a Mexican tortilla. Like tortillas, chapati are cooked on a very hot, ungreased griddle. Chapati are also eaten in the African countries of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, but there they are usually fried in oil. Rice is the primary staple in most Asian countries, and many families eat steaming hot rice with every meal, while wheat breads are less common. Rice is also a common dish in South America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Both chapatis and rye bread are sure to make any meal complete.