Lagana (bread)

Lagana
Leavened lagana with sesame seeds
Alternative namesλαγάνα
TypeBread
Place of originGreece
Ingredients generally usedSesame seeds
Similar dishesFocaccia

Lagana (Greek: λαγάνα, from λάγανον[1]) is a Greek flatbread traditionally baked for Clean Monday, the first day of the Great Lent. Traditionally, it was prepared unleavened (without the yeast), but leavened lagana is nowadays more common.[2] It is typically flat, oval-shaped, with surface decorated by impressing fingertips.[3][4]

Sesame seeds are a common topping, and it may also be topped with other herbs, and seasoned with olive oil.[5][6] The name comes from a Greco-Roman pastry dough lagana, which is also the origin of the word lasagna,[7] also known as tracta, from Ancient Greek: τρακτὸς.

  1. ^ λάγανον, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus
  2. ^ Kochilas, Diane (1993). The food and wine of Greece (1st pbk. ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-08783-8.
  3. ^ "Lagana, Greek Lenten flatbread". Diane Kochilas, Greek Food for Life. 17 March 2013.
  4. ^ Hallee Bridgeman (2 September 2013). The Walking Bread the Bread Will Rise!: A Cookbook and a Parody. House of Bread Books. ISBN 9781939603098.
  5. ^ "Lagana Bread (λαγάνα)". The Greek Vegan. 27 October 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  6. ^ "Lagana bread". To Vima. 18 March 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Lasagna" (in Italian). Vocabolario Etimologico di Pianigiani. See more in the tracta (dough) article