Burns my Bacon: Pita vs. Pocket Thin
I’m the last person to get upset over something small and menial. No, really… So when I saw someone at work with a bag of pitas that said “flatbread pocket thins” on it, of course I started an argument: “You know those are just pitas, right?” Discussion ensued yesterday for about 5 minutes or so about the difference between a pita and pocket bread. Then today, of course, it was brought up again and further, louder, arguments occured.
Why does this burn my bacon? Because some quacks in a marketing department decided to call PITAS flatbread so that people will believe there is a difference. What is a pita? Simple. Bread with a pocket in it. At least I thought it was. Until our friends at Arnold’s decided that they couldn’t trademark the word Pita and instead called a PITA an f’ing flatbread that happens to have a pocket in it. Oh wait—it is pita-“style” bread. Which makes it…? A DAMN pita!
Yes, yelling did occur during this second discussion. About a pita. Unfortunately, some are misled by the spin doctors at Arnold’s painting pitas as “artisan pocket breads.” Some sad consumers believe they are getting something that is not a pita because it tastes better. Maybe it does taste better—but maybe that’s because it’s just a better pita! Don’t let the man pick your bread. Do you. YOLO.
Now…what do you think? I was promised responses from the office. Don’t disappoint.
This is the best food blog in the world. “Do you. YOLO.” Priceless. Yes, artisan flatbread with a pocket is a pita…marketing industry won’t fool me. -LW
You’re the last person to get upset over something menial…..what?
I believe Pocket-thins to be the american equivalent of the Pita…
Remember the whole “Freedom Fries” thing.
Arnold can call their little “dough wallets” whatever they want because they are made by “artisans”! And as you know, a true artist pocket is always thin…
They’re all flatbreads, so does it really matter what we call them?
Maybe instead of getting angry at the manufacturer, we should be pissed at all the people who buy into this marketing.
I keep thinking of you raging, yelling “DON’T LET THE MAN PICK YOUR BREAD. YOLO”
Freedom bread.
done.
Of course it’s a pita. I polled all the Lebanese bakers in my area (and they are LEGION) and they all agreed.
I like what Katt Kasper calls them, “dough wallets” hencefourth DOUGH WALLETS ! !
I can’t see getting too upset about this but I did buy a Costco sized bag of “Papa Pita!” pita bread at Costco. Oh boy,. I’m gonna have some “pocket pita sandwiches” but none of the pitas could be separated to form the pocket! So back at Costco I inquired with a bag in my hand if this was supposed to be “pocket bread.” “Yup, pocket bread.” was their reply. So I asked them to open the bag and show me how to make a pocket from it and they wouldn’t open the unpurchased bag. Further the picture on the bag shows a very thick pita wrapped around fillings, not a pocket pita sandwich.
By contrast, and I bake all my bread but not pita, “flatbread” can be pizza crust, focaccia, naan, bing, coca, fougasse, and the list goes on. But it was my belief until 2015, and I’m a senior citizen, that pita bread was pocket bread.
Perhaps it’s a case of buyer beware … one again.