The Lovely Laffa

Any and every person knows that you can't really have a gathering without food. You can't really do much of anything without food nor would you want to. Our minds can't stay focused on the task at hand because all we can think about is what we're going to eat next. Everyone feels a little more comfortable when they smell a bit of their country's food cooking either in their own kitchen or as they pass by a restaurant on the street. Tacos, a nice big bowl of pasta, or samosas are all staples of their respective country's cuisine and can be found at almost every Mexican, Italian, or Indian restaurants in Los Angeles. If one were looking for some Israeli food in LA, there would of course be the usual suspects – falafels, hummus, shawarma – but there is a new trend making its way into the cuisine: the laffa.

The word laffa is a Arabic term meaning “to wrap” or to “twist around.” Laffa is a flatbread that is used for this exact purpose – to wrap things. You can throw some falafels and some Israeli salad (finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers) or you could go crazy and make some egg salad and put that in your laffa. This flatbread craze is new to LA but is something that Israelis are used to. Although trendy Israeli restaurants in LA are only starting to offer laffa now, the people in Israel have been enjoying what they call “Iraqi pita” or in Jerusalem, “eesh tanoor,” for years. The reason for this new trend is due to the success of other cultural cuisines that incorporate wraps in their menus (e.g. tacos and burritos in Mexican cuisine).

Cafe du Liban, a Lebanese restaurant in LA, had been selling laffa under a different name since it opened its door in 1998. “Saj bread,” as they referred to it, was a little thinner but much larger than the Iraqi pita that many Israelis were used to buying in their local market or shuk. With the trend gaining popularity the restaurant decided to change the name on the menu. When asked about the change the owner replied “it's the same bread by a different name. Because of the Israelis, everyone knows the term laffa, and so now that's what we call it.”

The laffa is eaten with almost anything and everything one can possibly think of shoving into it. Some fill it with creamy eggplant salad made with mayonnaise or with tehina, on its own or paired with turkey. Others prefer to take the components of an Iraqi sabich – hard-boiled eggs, hummus and/or tehina, eggplant and amba (mango chutney) – and eat their laffa like that.

Although one can find laffa at almost any Israeli or Middle Eastern restaurant in LA, what may be a little frustrating is how difficult making your own laffa can be. In the Middle East, the flatbread is traditionally made in brick ovens and some prefer this authentic taste and texture that the brick oven gives the laffa. For those like myself, when I'm hungry I don't really care too much about traditional ways of cooking especially when I don't know anyone who has a brick oven. When at home and I'm in need of a nice laffa to wrap whatever leftovers I have I usually just follow a simple recipe of yeast, flour, warm water, salt, and sugar.

As with any other bread, laffa is always best when fresh so make sure to either scarf it down immediately (I don't know why you wouldn't) or to carefully wrap it and keep it in the fridge. Next time that you're out on the town, try a nice Middle Eastern restaurant and order a laffa sandwich. It won't disappoint.

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