Iran and Japan: Barbari bread and curry bread

Two countries share this date for their national day. Although on opposite sides of the world with very different cultures and cuisines, of course like people worldwide, for each country, bread is important.

For Iran, February 11 is the anniversary of the 1979 victory of the Islamic Revolution. Most people know that the older name for Iran is Persia, and that Persian food draws on ancient recipes as well as its rich produce.

As in many cuisines throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, bread is often baked in tall cylindrical brick ovens, the pieces of dough being dabbed onto the furnace-hot walls and baked for just minutes before being ready to take out and eat. There could hardly be better and tastier form of 'fast food'.

These breads are often very long and can be torn into pieces to share around the family. Barbari (above) means "of or related to Barbars" in Persian. Barbars are a group of people living in Khorasan near Iran's eastern borders.

This type of bread is perhaps the most common style baked in Iran. It is served in many restaurants with Tabriz cheese, made from ewe's milk and similar to feta cheese. It is also called Tabrizi Bread because of its connections with the City of Tabriz.

Japan celebrates its National Foundation Day on February 11 too. This is because Jimmu, Japan's first emperor, was crowned on this date in 660 BC.

Although the Japanese diet does not use much bread - relying on rice and noodles for  its carbs - an unusual and popular bread is kari pan, or curry bread. To make this just take some plain yeasted bread dough and roll out rounds about 15cm in diameter. A spoonful of curry is then placed in the centre and the dough is sealed up. But being Japanese, it doesn't end there.

The roll is then coated with beaten egg and panko breadcrumbs and then either deep-fried or baked. Little wonder it is such a popular food in Japan! Crispy, crunchy and with a spicy savoury filling. To get a better idea, and the confidence to try it for yourself, watch this video.

This blogpost also provides a good explanation about kare pan.