Bread holds significance beyond mere nutrition in many cultures across the Western world and Asia because of its history and contemporary importance. Bread is also significant in Christianity as one of the elements (alongside wine) of the Eucharist; see sacramental bread. The word companion comes from Latin com- "with" + panis "bread".

The political significance of bread is considerable. In 19th-century Britain, the inflated price of bread due to the Corn Laws caused major political and social divisions, and was central to debates over free trade versus protectionism. The Assize of Bread and Ale in the 13th century demonstrated the importance of bread in medieval times by setting heavy punishments for short-changing bakers, and bread appeared in Magna Carta a half-century earlier.

As with other foods, choosing the "right" kind of bread serves as a social signal, for example, that the person buying expensive bread is financially secure or that the person buying whatever type of bread the current fashions deem most healthful is a health-conscious consumer.

As a simple, cheap, and adaptable type of food, bread is often used as a synecdoche for food in general in some languages and dialects, such as Greek and Punjabi. There are many variations on the basic recipe of bread worldwide, such as bagels, baguettes, biscuits, bocadillo, brioche, chapatis, Challah, lavash, naan, pitas, pizza, pretzels, puris, tortillas, Roti, Paratha and many others. There are various types of traditional "cheese breads" in many countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Italy, and Russia.

Across the world Asia

Sangak, barbari, taftoon and lavash are the most popular breads in Iran. Iranian breads are prepared in different compositions, shapes, sizes, textures, colors, and flavors.

The traditional bread in China is mantou. It is made by steaming or deep-frying dough made from wheat flour. In Northern China and northern central China, mantou is often eaten as an alternative staple to rice. Steamed mantou is similar to Western white bread, but because it is not baked, it lacks a brown crust. Mantou that have a filling such as meat or vegetables (cha siu bao, for example) are called baozi. The kompyang of Fuzhou is an example of a Chinese bread baked in a clay oven.

In the Indian subcontinent, chapati or roti, types of unleavened flatbreads usually made from whole-wheat flour or sometimes refined wheat flour and baked on a hot iron griddle called a tava, form the mainstay of the people's diet. The chapati, as it came to be known, is an unleavened bread with a long tradition. The bread can be spelled Chapathi, Chapatti, or Chappati. Rotis and naans are usually served with curry throughout the region. A variant called makki di roti uses maize flour rather than white flour. Another variant is puri, a thin flat bread that is fried rather than baked and puffs up while cooked. Paratha is another variation on roti. Naan (leavened wholewheat bread) is baked in a tandoor or clay oven and is rarely prepared at home. White and brown breads are also very common, but not as common as roti.

In the Philippines, pandesal (or pan de sal, meaning bread of salt or salt bread) is a round bread commonly eaten by Filipinos for breakfast. The Philippines also produces a cheap generic white bread called Pinoy Tasty.

Europe

An enormous variety of bread is available across Europe. Germany alone lays claim to over 1,300 basic varieties of breads, rolls, and pastries, as well as having the largest consumption of bread per capita worldwide. Bread and salt is a welcome greeting ceremony in many central and eastern European cultures. During important occasions when guests arrive, they are offered a loaf of bread with a salt holder to represent hospitality.

In France, there has been a huge decline in the baguette culture. In the 1970s, French people consumed an average of 1 loaf of bread per day. Only a century ago, the French ate approximately 3 loaves of bread per day. Today, French people eat only half a loaf of bread per day. In response to this decline, bakers have launched a national campaign to encourage people to call the bakery before and after work, just as they used to. The campaign models the American "Got Milk?" campaign, plastering "Hey there, have you picked up the bread?" all over billboards and bread bags.

During the 18th century, the moral economy of France was based on wheaten bread. By supplying sufficient bread to the people, the government demonstrated its strong political fitness. Wheaten bread was also considered indispensable to one's well-being after French medical chemists had associated gluten with several nourishing elements in plants. As bread had a high gluten content compared to other cereals, it was given a reputation of being the ideal alimentary. Consequently, consumers became extremely concerned with the quality of their wheaten bread, resulting in a meticulous surveillance of wheaten bread production; they did not want their bread to contain filler additives such as bran, rye, barley, and legume flour. At the time, bread was the most sought-after food because it was considered essential, universal, and highly nutritious. It was typical for the average French citizen to believe that overindulging in bread was impossible. For many, bread became the centerpiece of every meal. All other foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and meats, were thought of as subsidiary, or ancillary to nourishment.

There is a wide variety of traditional breads in Great Britain, often baked in rectangular tins. Round loaves are also produced, such as the North East England specialty called a stottie cake. A cob is a small, round loaf. A cottage loaf is made of two balls of dough, one on top of the other, to form a figure-of-eight shape. There are many variations on bread rolls, such as baps, barms, breadcakes, and so on. The Chorleywood process for mass-producing bread was developed in England in the 1960s before spreading worldwide. Mass-produced sliced white bread brands such as Wonderloaf and Mother's Pride have been criticized for poor nutritional value and the taste of their loaves.

In Spain, the traditional bread is in a long loaf, similar to the French baguette but wider. One can buy freshly made bread every morning at traditional bakeries, which offer a large assortment of bread. A smaller version is known as bocadillo, an iconic dish in Hispanic cuisine. In Spain, especially in the Mediterranean region, bakers' guilds have existed for over 750 years. The bakers guild in Barcelona was founded in 1200 AD. There is a region called Tierra del Pan ("Land of the Bread"), located in the province of Zamora, where the economy was in the past joined to this activity.

According to Guinness World Records, Turkey has the largest per capita consumption of bread in the world as of 2000, with 199.6 kg (440 lb) per person; Turkey is followed in bread consumption by Serbia and Montenegro with 135 kg (297 lb 9.9 oz), and Bulgaria with 133.1 kg (293 lb 6.9 oz).

Latin America

Flat breads of many flours are widespread in Latin America, the most common probably being sopaipillas. Chile is the second largest consumer of bread per capita worldwide.

Corn tortillas are the staple bread in most of Mexico, and bread rolls in a wide variety are an important daily food for city dwellers. Popular breads in Mexico include the bolillo roll and pan dulce. Pan dulce, which is Spanish for "sweet bread", is eaten in the evenings with hot drinks like traditional hot chocolate.

Chapati breads are common in the Caribbean Islands and Guiana.

In Peru, bread comes in a wide variety due to the diversity of Peruvian cuisine. People usually eat pan de piso and pan serrano. There are also some kinds of bread made of potatoes; these are currently popular in the Andes. Bizcochos are sweet bread usually eaten with some butter and hot chocolate. A dough made with cooked pumpkin or squash, often shaped into doughnuts and fried, and served with a sweet, fruity dipping sauce, is a traditional favorite. Bread is an ingredient in sopas de ajo, gazpacho, and salmorejo.

In Colombia and Venezuela, arepas are a common type of bread made with corn flour, usually filled to create a variety of sandwiches. is a type of arepa from the Caribbean coast of Colombia.

Many breads in Paraguay, Brazil and Northeast of Argentina are made with flour and cheese, like chipa, sopa paraguaya and pão de queijo.

In the Rio de la Plata region sopaipillas are called torta frita and are fried in cow fat, other type of bread that is commonly found is galleta de campaña, a grease dough made of layers,SaltShaker Spanish-English-Spanish Food & Wine Dictionary: Second Edition roscas are a type of bread in Uruguay that is commonly eaten on semana santa (Easter), they are usually filled either with chicharrones or quince cheese.M.F.K. Fisher, El arte de comer. Pan de miga is a bread that is specially made for making sandwiches de miga and mostly is not consumed in any other way, similar to pebetes that are commonly filled with ham and cheese. A type of croissant commonly found in Rio de la plata is Medialuna.

North Africa and Horn of Africa

In the Horn of Africa, notably Ethiopia and Eritrea, a bread called injera is made from a grain called teff. This is a wide, flat, circular bread that is in a similar shape of a tortilla and is also used as a utensil to pick up food.

Also consumed is a thick, chewy fried bread smothered in oil beforehand. The rghifa bread is a staple of Moroccan cuisine and consists of several layers of lightly cooked bread.

In Egypt, bread is called aysh (aish merahrah or aish baladi) and the ancient proverb has it that "life without aysh is not life". The typical Egyptian bread is circular, about 6 inches across, often baked in small neighborhood bakeries and bought still warm.

North America

Traditional breads in the United States include cornbreads and various quick breads, such as biscuits. Rolls, made from wheat flour and yeast, are another popular and traditional bread eaten with dinner.

Cornbread is made from cornmeal and can differ significantly in taste and texture from region to region. In general, the South prefers white cornmeal with little to no wheat flour or sweeteners added; it is traditionally baked in a cast-iron skillet and ideally has a crunchy exterior and a moist interior. The North usually prefers yellow cornmeal with sometimes as much as half wheat flour in its composition, as well as sugar, honey, or maple syrup. This results in a bread that is softer and sweeter than its southern counterpart. Wheat flour was not available to the average North American family until the early 1900s, when a new breed of wheat, known as Marquis, was developed. This was a hybrid of Red Fife and Hard red winter wheat. Marquis grew well, and soon, average Americans were able to have homemade wheat bread on the table. Homemade wheat breads are made in a rectangular tin similar to those in the United Kingdom.

Spoon bread, also called batter bread or egg bread, is made of cornmeal with or without added rice and hominy, and is mixed with milk, eggs, shortening, and leavening to such a consistency that it must be served from the baking dish with a spoon. This is popular chiefly in the South.

Sourdough biscuits are traditional "cowboy food" in the West. The San Francisco Bay Area is known for its crusty sourdough.