Wraps have all the quickness and hand-held, utensil-free convenience of a sandwich while offering much wider variety than a sandwich. Wraps are perfect homemade meals for anyone who's looking for an easy snack on the go, a way to use up leftovers, or just for some new flavors at the dinner table.
Fusion for the Home Cook
Inspired by Mexico's tacos, France's crêpes, Vietnam's spring rolls, the Middle East's falafel, Greece's gyros, Armenia's aram sandwiches, Japan's sushi rolls and China's moo shu, wraps are a perfect example of everyday fusion food.
Don't be shy about crossing culinary borders to make new flavor combinations--the average wrap combines elements of more than one cuisine in every bite. The filling, whether teriyaki beef, curried chicken or tuna salad, does not necessarily come from the same origins as the wrapper, be it tortilla, pita, or naan.
The Wrap
The most common and widely available flatbread to use for the wrapper is a tortilla. In addition to traditional flour and corn tortillas, try herb, pesto, whole wheat, jalapeño, lemon, spinach, and tomato flavors.
If you've got other ethnic breads available in your area, try pita and naan breads, spring roll wrappers, or crêpes. Butterhead lettuce also works nicely for wrapping around fillings because the leaves are large and can fold without breaking.
Flatbread recipes:
Handy Wraps
Besides adventure and variety, there is also the convenience factor: wraps are a complete and flavorful meal that can be held in one hand or rolled up in foil and stuffed in a lunch bag.
Perhaps the best news of all for busy home cooks: wraps are God's gift to leftovers. All those little containers of leftovers that aren't enough for another meal suddenly become a satisfying lunch when layered in flatbread and drizzled with a bit of sauce, such as salad dressing, barbeque sauce, salsa, peanut sauce, marinara, hoisin sauce, chutney, or teriyaki sauce.
Breakfast wraps:
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