Naan

What is Naan?

Naan is a leavened flatbread known for its soft, fluffy texture and golden-brown spots from high-heat baking. The dough is made from wheat flour, a leavening agent such as yeast, yogurt, ghee, water, and salt. Sometimes milk, egg, or honey are added. Traditionally, naan is baked in a tandoor, a clay oven, but it can also be cooked on a flat pan called a tava. Once cooked, it is brushed with ghee or butter and served warm. Naan is pliable and slightly chewy, making it ideal for scooping up sauces and curries.

Where does Naan come from?

The word 'naan' comes from Persian, where it simply means bread. Naan spread to South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate period, with the earliest South Asian mention by the poet Amir Khusrau in the 1300s. In the Mughal era, naan was a delicacy for nobles due to the skill and time required. Over time, it became more widely available and is now a common bread in South Asian cuisine. The bread has since traveled beyond its origins, appearing in various forms across Asia and the world.

How is Naan made?

To make naan, wheat flour is mixed with yeast or another leavening agent, yogurt, ghee, water, salt, and sometimes sugar. The dough is kneaded, allowed to rise, then shaped into balls and flattened. In the tandoor method, the dough is pressed onto the hot inner wall of the oven, where it bakes quickly at very high temperatures, forming characteristic brown spots. On a stovetop, naan can be cooked on a tava, sometimes flipped over the flame to brown the surface. After baking, it is brushed with ghee or butter.

How and when is Naan eaten?

Naan is usually served warm, often brushed with ghee or butter. It is a staple accompaniment to curries, stews, and grilled meats like tandoori chicken. In Myanmar, a version called naan bya is eaten at breakfast with tea or coffee, sometimes topped with boiled chickpeas or dipped in curry. In restaurants worldwide, naan is used to scoop up sauces or wrapped around fillings. It can be eaten plain or with added flavors like garlic or cheese.

Kinds of Naan

Naan has many regional and modern versions. In South Asia, historical types included light or thin naan and heavier tandoor-baked forms. In Indonesia, it is called roti naan and may include local spices. Myanmar’s naan bya is often eaten with chickpeas. In China, similar breads are found in Uyghur and Jingzhou cuisines. In France, cheese naan was developed in the 1970s. Modern adaptations include naan pizza and fusion dishes using naan as a base.

What Naan means

Naan was once a food for South Asian nobility but is now an everyday bread in many countries. It is a familiar sight in Indian restaurants worldwide and has inspired new dishes in global fusion cuisine. In Myanmar, naan is part of the teahouse breakfast tradition. Cheese naan has become popular in France. The bread’s adaptability has made it a symbol of culinary exchange, appearing in many local forms across Asia and beyond.

Questions people ask about Naan

Good reading and sources

• Naan on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos
• Wikidata recordOpen data