Getty ImagesA pillowy-soft naan – a leavened flatbread popular in South Asia – paired with rich, creamy butter chicken gravy is one of the most popular comfort foods in the region, and it’s also one of the most popular Indian dishes abroad.
And while the tangy, aromatic gravy is often considered the show stealer, it would lose much of its charm in the absence of its understated partner.
The naan’s chewiness adds texture to every bite; its subtle flavour complements the gravy’s spices and seasonings. In fact, the versatile naan diligently props up whatever it is paired with, allowing the main dish to shine.
That’s probably why this flatbread has become one of the most popular breads in the world. Recently, butter garlic naan – a flavour-packed rendition of the traditional naan – topped Taste Atlas’ best breads list.
It is made by brushing butter onto a piping hot naan and sprinkling a generous amount of chopped garlic on it. Also on the list was aloo naan – made by stuffing the naan with potatoes seasoned with spices and coriander.
While today naans and its versions have become ubiquitous in restaurants serving Indian or Middle Eastern fare, they were once served only in the courts of Islamic kings. So, how did the naan travel from royal kitchens to our plates?
The MetThe origins of the naan are murky but many food historians believe that the flatbread originated in ancient Persia, since it derives its name from the the Persian word for bread. The Persians used water and flour to make the bread, which was most-likely baked on hot pebbles.
The naan travelled to the Indian subcontinent with the Sultans who ruled large parts of the subcontinent between the 13th and 16th Centuries. The Muslim rulers brought with them culinary traditions that spoke of their Western and Central Asian roots, which included using a tandoor (clay oven) to cook food.
Amir Khusrau, an Indo-Persian poet who documented courtly life during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, mentioned two types of naans in his writings – naan-e-tanuk and naan-i-tanuri.
While the former was delicate and thin, the latter was a thick, puffy flatbread baked in a tandoor. During the Delhi Sultanate, naans were usually enjoyed with different meat preparations, like kebabs (meat grilled on skewers over charcoal) and keema (minced meat).
Getty ImagesCooks in the royal kitchens also advanced the art of naan-making by introducing specialised kneading techniques and adding yeast – a rare ingredient at the time – to make the bread softer and fluffier. Because of its complex and expensive preparation, the naan became a luxury food item enjoyed largely by the nobility.
This remained the norm during the reign of subsequent Mughal emperors as well, which stretched over the next three centuries.
“Specialised cooks, called naan bais, made and experimented with the flatbread, using adjectives to highlight their innovations. For example, the naan-e-warqi was a flatbread with thin, flaky layers while the naan-e-tangi was a smaller bread that absorbed gravies well,” says Neha Vermani, a historian of South Asia.
Naans were also named after the household kitchens they were crafted in.
“Baqir Khani, a flatbread with a biscuit-like texture, was named so because it was made in the kitchen establishment of Baqir Najm Saini – a high-ranking officer at Jahangir and Shah Jahan’s court,” Ms Vermani says.
Getty ImagesDuring British rule, the naan remained a food item enjoyed by the elite, but it also travelled to the West through the sojourns of English travellers. Back in India, the naan weaved its way into colonial cuisine, as it began being paired with cured meats or sauces infused with local spices.
“But over time, complex preparations gave way to simpler techniques and a more basic preparation of the naan became accessible to the common man, like the variety we see in most local restaurants today,” says Ms Vermani.
Today, naan is made by combing flour, yogurt and yeast and kneading them into a soft dough. The dough is left to rise before being divided into balls and patted into shape by hand. The naan is then placed in a very hot tandoor until it puffs up and brown spots appear. It is lightly brushed with butter or ghee before serving.
But the story of the naan doesn’t end here.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the naan saw a fresh wave of innovations as fine dining restaurants in India and abroad began experimenting with the flatbread. Chef Suvir Saran recollects how his restaurant in New York began infusing naan with spinach, gouda and mushrooms.
“It was a way to jazz up the naan to make it more appealing for non-Indians, while Indians could feel less guilty about eating their traditional food abroad,” Mr Saran says.
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1971The trend spread like wildfire and today, restaurants across the world are serving experimental naans stuffed and sprinkled with a variety of food items.
“You’ll find a restaurant in Goa serving a pork vindaloo naan or a butter chicken naan, while there’s one in Hong Kong that serves a truffle cheese naan,” Mr Saran says.
“The naan is India’s glorious culinary gift to the world,” he adds.
Food historians may not fully agree – naan belongs to other South Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines as well – but its ties to India are deep and long-standing.
Mr Saran says that the naan offers a message on belonging and the Indian identity.
“The naan tells a story of plurality; of cross-cultural identities co-existing in harmony,” he says.
“It shows us that differences need not cancel out each other when they can be celebrated together.”
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