Naan
Naan or Nan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread.[1] It is typical of and
popular in West, Central and South Asia.[2][3][4]
Originally, nan was a general term for various
flatbreads from different parts of the world.[5] The name stems from (new)
Persian, itself from Sanskrit nayan; being a generic word for bread. The bread
is usually served with curry dishes.
Etymology
The earliest appearance of "nan"
in English literature dates back to 1780, viz. in a travelogue of William Tooke.[6]
The original Persianword nān 'bread' (= Tajik non (нон)) is already attested in Middle-Persian / Pahlavi as n'n 'bread, food'. The form itself is
either of Iranianor Indian origin; cognate forms include Parthian ngn, Balochi nagan, Sogdian nγn-, Pashto nəγan -
"bread".[7]
The form naan has a widespread distribution, having
been borrowed in a range of languages spoken in central Asia, also in South
Asia, i.e., present-dayIndia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the surrounding regions. In these countries and regions,
the generic designation "naan" refers to a kind of (in most cases) flatbread,
baked according to locally adapted recipes. The spelling naan is first attested in 1979,[8] and has since become the normal
English spelling.
Description
The most familiar and
readily available varieties of naan in Western countries are the South Asian
varieties. In Iran, from which the word ultimately originated,[9] nān (نان) does
not carry any special significance, as it is merely the everyday word for any
kind of bread.
Naan in other parts of South Asia usually refers to a specific
kind of thick flatbread (another well-known kind of flatbread is chapati). Generally, it resembles pita and, like pita bread, is
usually leavened with yeast or with bread
starter (leavened naan dough left
over from a previous batch); unleavened dough (similar to that used for roti)
is also used. Naan is cooked in a tandoor, from which tandoori cooking takes
its name.
This distinguishes it from roti,
which is usually cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a tava.
Modern recipes sometimes substitute baking powder for the yeast. Milk or yogurt may also be used to impart
distinct tastes to the naan. Milk used instead of water will, as it does for
ordinary bread, yield a softer dough.[10] Also, when bread starter
(which contains both yeast andlactobacilli) is used, the milk may undergo modest lactic
fermentation.
Typically, it will be
served hot and brushed with ghee or butter. It can be used to scoop other foods, or served stuffed with a
filling: for example, keema naan is stuffed with a minced meat mixture
(usually lamb or mutton or goat meat); another variation is peshawari
naan.Peshawari naan and Kashmiri naan are filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins; in Pakistan, roghani
naan which is sprinkled with
sesame seeds; Kulcha is
another type. Amritsari naan also called as amritsari kulcha is stuffed with mashed potatoes, onion
(optional) and lots of spices. Possible seasonings in the naan dough include cumin and nigella seeds.
The Pakistani dish of balti is
usually eaten with a naan, and this has given rise to the hugekarack or table naan, easy to share amongst
large groups.[11]
A typical naan recipe
involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture,
and enough yogurt to make a smooth, elastic dough.[12] The dough is kneaded for a
few minutes, then set aside to rise for a few hours. Once risen, the dough is
divided into balls (about 100 grams or 3.5 oz each), which are flattened
and cooked.
In Pakistani cuisine, naans are typically graced with fragrant essences, such as rose, khus, or (vetiver) with butter or ghee melted on them. Nigella seeds are
commonly added to naan as cooked in Indian restaurants throughout the UK.
Raisins and spices can be
added to the bread to add to the flavour. Naan can also be covered with, or
serve as a wrap for, various toppings of meat, vegetables, and/or cheeses. This version is sometimes
prepared as fast food. It can also be dipped into such soups as dal,
and goes well with sabzis (also known as shaakh).
Naan bya in Burma is sometimes served at breakfast with tea or coffee. It is
round, soft, and blistered, often buttered, or with pè byouk (boiled peas) on top, or dipped in hseiksoup(mutton soup).
Chapati
Chapati, Chapatti,
or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread (also known as roti)
from India.[1] It is a common staple of cuisine inSouth Asia as well as amongst South Asian expatriates throughout the
world. Versions of the dish are also found in Central Asiaand the Horn of
Africa, with the laobing flatbread serving as a local variation in China. Chapati is known as doday in Pashto.
History
The word "Chappathi" is derived
from Kannada origin "Chappate thatti" meaning "flattened
round". Chapati is noted in Ain-i-Akbari , a 16th century document, by Mughal Emperor, Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.[1]
Definition
Chapatis are one of the most common forms
in which wheat, the staple of northern South Asia, is consumed. Chapati is a form ofroti or rotta (bread). The words are often used
interchangeably. While roti or rotta refers to any flat unleavened bread,
chapati is a roti made of whole wheat
flour and cooked on a tava (flat skillet).
Cooking
Chapatis are made from a firm dough made
from flour (whole grain common wheat), 'Atta' in Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi/Bengali, and water. Some people also add salt and/or oil to the dough. Small
portions of the dough are rolled out into discs much like a tortilla,
using a rolling pin. The rolled-out dough is thrown on the preheated dry skillet
and cooked on both sides.
In some regions it is only partly cooked on the
skillet, and then put directly on a high flame, which makes it blow up like a
balloon. The hot air cooks the chapati rapidly from the inside. In some parts
of northern India (e.g. Punjab) and Pakistan, this is called a phulka (that which has been inflated)
Often, the top of a chapati is slathered
with butter or ghee (clarified butter). A piece of chapati is torn off and used
to pick up the meat or vegetable dish(es) that make the meal. It is folded into
a sort of loose cone and used as a scoop to eat the more liquid dishes at a
meal likepaneer, or sena-galu.
Chapati sizes (diameter and thickness) vary
from region to region and kitchen to kitchen. In Gujarat, for example, the
chapati is called a 'rotli' and can be as thin as tissue paper. Chapatis made
in domestic kitchens are usually not larger than 6-7 inches in diameter since
the 'tava' on which they are made comes in sizes that fit comfortably on a
domestic stove top. Tavas were traditionally made of unglazed earthenware, but
are now typically made from metal.
There are also electric tavas manufactured
in India. The shape of the rolling pin also varies from region to region. Some
households simply use a kitchen work top as a sort of pastry board, but homes have round
flat-topped 'boards' specifically for rolling out chapatis that may be made of
wood or stone.
Flat unleavened breads in
South Asia come in many forms; the chapati is only one of them. A rotta, made
of a dough similar to that used to make chapatis and cooked in an oven, is a
'tandoori roti'.
The combination of wheat flour with one or more flours (e.g.
chickpea, maize, or millet) will produce a "missi roti". Rottas made
with pearl millet (bajra) or maize (makka) or jowar flour usually carry the name of the
flour, as in "bajra roti" or "makke ki roti" (or
"bhakri" in marathi). Flat breads like chapati and roti are
traditionally a food of northern South Asia. The peninsular south, the east and
northeast and the Kashmir valley are primarily rice-eating cultures.
In southern India, there is
a distinction made between a 'chapati' and its layered fried version the
'paratha'. 'Parathas' usually have a filling inside, such as spinach, cooked
radish, or potato. Also now the 'tandoori roti' is to be found in the smallest
towns. Many people confuse roti and chapati, but chapatis are made of whole
wheat flour, whereas rotis are made of all-purpose flour.
Parotta
A parotta, porotta or barotta,
is a layered flat bread of Southern India. This is a variant of the North
Indian Lacha Paratha.
Parottas are usually available as street food [1] and in restaurants across Kerala, Karnataka,tamilnadu and the Middle East. It is also served in marriages, religious festivals and feasts.
It is prepared with kneading maida, egg, Oil/Ghee and water. The dough is
beaten thin layers and later forming a round bread using these thin layers.[2][3]
Usually, parottas are eaten
with vegetable kuruma or chicken, mutton or beef saalna (a spicy curry). Chilli parotta and Kothu Parottaare
prepared using parottas.
Kheer
Kheer (Sanskrit: क्षीर/Ksheer)
(Hindi: खीर, Punjabi: کھیر/ਖੀਰ, Khiri (ଖିରି)
in Oriya, Urdu: کھیر/kheer ),
also known as Payasam(Tamil: பாயசம், Malayalam: പായസം), Payasa (Kannada: ಪಾಯಸ) or Payesh (Bengali), (Telugu: పాయసం) is
a rice pudding,
which is a traditional South Asian sweet dish. It is made by boiling rice or broken wheat with milk and sugar, and flavoured withcardamom, raisins, saffron, cashew nuts, pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or also consumed alone
as a dessert.
Regional variations
Kheer is prepared in festivals, temples, and all special occasions. The
term Kheer (used in North India) is derived from Sanskritwords Ksheeram[1] (which means milk). Other terms
like Payasa or Payasam (used in South
India) or payesh (used in Bengalregion) are derived from the Sanskrit word Payas which
also means "milk". It is prepared using milk, rice, ghee, sugar/jaggery,Khoya. Some also add a little
bit of Heavy Cream to give it more richness in taste. It is often garnished
using almonds, cashews, raisins and pistachios.
It is an essential dish in many Hindu feasts and celebrations.
While the dish is most often made with rice, it can also be made with other
ingredients such as vermicelli (sayviah).
Rice was known to the Romans, and
possibly introduced to Europe as a food crop as early as the 8th or 10th
century AD,[2] and so the recipe for the
popular English rice pudding is believed by some to be
descended from kheer.[1] Similar rice recipes
(originally calledpotages) go back to some of the earliest
written recipes in English history.[3]
East Indian version
The Oriya version of rice kheer likely
originated in the city of Puri, in Odisha about 2,000 years ago.[4] It
is cooked to this day within the temple precincts there. Every single day,
hundreds of temple cooks work around 752 hearths in what is supposed to be the
world's largest kitchen to cook over 100 different dishes, including kheer,
enough to feed at least 10,000 people.
Although white sugar is most commonly
used, adding gur (jaggery) as the sweetener is an interesting
variation prepared in Odisha.
In Bengal, it is called payas or
payesh. A traditional Bengali meal ends with payas followed by other sweets.
Payas is also regarded as an auspicious food and generally associated
with annaprashana (weaning
ritual of an infant) and birthday celebrations in a Bengali household. It is
called Kheer in Bengali if milk is used in a significantly greater amount than
rice. The people of Bangladesh prepare "payesh"
with ketaki, glutinous
rice, vermicelli, semolina and coconut
milk and the result is a stickier and creamier dessert.
In Assam, it is called "Payoxh"
and in addition to other dry fruits, cherries are added to give it a light
delicate pink colour. Sometimes rice may be replaced with sago. It is one of
the most significant desserts served in Assamese families and quite often a
part of religious ceremonies.
In Bihar, it is called "chawal ka
Kheer". A very popular dessert cooked in every auspicious occasion. It is
made with rice, full cream milk, sugar, cardamom powder, lots of dry fruits and
saffron. Another version of this Kheer is made with jaggery, called Rasiya.
Jaggery is used instead of sugar in the process. The jaggery version looks
brown in color and have mild, sweet brown taste.
In Southern India
The South Indian version, payasam or
payasa (Kannada: ಪಾಯಸ, Malayalam: പായസം, pronounced [paːjasam], Tamil: பாயசம்,Telugu: పాయసం) is an integral part of
traditional South Indian meal. The South Indian
payasam also makes extensive use of jaggery andcoconut milk in place of sugar and milk.
In a South Indian meal, payasam or
payasa (Kannada) is served first at any formal
or auspicious occasions. Payasam is also served after rasam rice,
while rice with buttermilk forms the last item of the
meal.[5] Payasam also forms an
integral part of the Kerala feast (sadya), where it is served
and relished from the flat banana leaf instead of cups. In Malayalee or Kerala cuisine, there are several
different kinds of payasam that can be prepared from a wide variety of fruits
and starch bases, an example being chakkapradhaman made of jackfruit pulp, adapradhaman made of
flat ground rice.
The Hyderabadi version
is called Gil e firdaus, and is quite popular. It is a thick kheer
made of milk and bottle gourd. Gil e firdaus,
literally translated, means the clay of paradise.
Payasam is served as an offering to the
Gods in South Indian Hindu temples during rituals and ceremonies.
Regional versions
In South Asia, Kheer is
prepared and eaten on almost every festival. It is considered a holy dessert
and used as a part of Bhog/Pras. The dish is also consumed at Muslim weddings
and prepared on the feasts of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. A similar dessert, variously
called fir-ni, phir-ni or phir-nee, is
eaten among the Muslim community of North India, and also in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Today, restaurants offer fir-ni
in a wide range of flavors including apricot, mango, fig, saffron and custard
apple. -wikipedia
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