Pitana

A Pitana is a popular Marianan street food, a sandwich made with grilled pita bread. Pitanas usually contain ham (or another meat), cheese and mushrooms or other vegetables. They are most similar to shawarmas and crêpe, often considered somewhere in between the two. Pitanas have traditionally been popular in the north and east, but have since become popular everywhere and is one of the most recognizable Marianan dishes.

History
Pitanas were invented some time in the 18th century, likely named after the pid bread, a soft, flat bread with seeds. It is not known where or by whom pitanas originated, but they are first mentioned in Donderstad and Ciutadella as peasant food.

Modern pitanas originate in the 1940s, when immigrants from the Middle East began making pitanas with pita bread, alongside their doners and shawarmas. Eventually by the 1980s cheaper pita breads replaced the more artisanal pid.

Recipe and ingredients
Pitanas are made using grilled pita bread (or pid); in the bread a meat (ham, beef, chicken or others), vegetables (mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers etc) and cheese, mostly Markstad-style though other firm cheeses can be used.