Pita Bread

Small round flat breads known as pita pockets are ubiquitous in Israel and served at almost every meal. Vendors at nearly every street corner sell what is probably the best-known Israeli fast food: a split pita bread stuffed with falafel balls, lettuce, hummus, and pickled vegetables.

But for a few days each year Israel’s favorite bread disappears from many bread baskets, since Jewish religious law prohibits the consumption of leavened bread during the eight days of Passover. To spare the feelings of religious Israelis – and also to respect the right of secular customers to eat their beloved flat bread – some supermarkets offer the following compromise for the days of Passover: they continue to sell pitot, but they hide them behind layers of wrapping paper so that pious customers can’t see it.