Though the literal meaning of ‘baking bread’ is to pull bread into mouthfuls, metaphorically it means having a meal together. Be it the Naan in India or a baguette in France, shared meals bring people together and change our perspective about cultures. A coming together regularly for common meals, more than any other social activity, blurs caste, race, gender and socio-economic differences.
Indian cuisine is as rich and diverse as its civilization. It is an art form that has been tutored through the generations from guru to pupil, through family kitchens from grandmother to daughter to granddaughter …. There is a continuance in that.
Indians cannot survive without their Rotis. The preparation of the Roti, made fresh every day and the making of a perfect Roti …. is an art form. The kneading of the dough, the rolling and the cooking on the tawa, no one can surpass Rotis as it is done in the heart of India’s bread basket !
Roti, has quite a few varieties, including the robust tandoori roti, cooked in the tandoor and the Roomali roti, which is rolled out extra thin and exactly as its name implies, soft and fluffy !
Roti, also known as chapati, is unleavened Indian bread made from atta. It’s a staple in Indian cuisine, and is normally eaten with cooked vegetables though for me nothing is more sublime than the pairing of steaming hot Rotis with a hearty Tarka Daal and some sliced onions on the side !
The Roti or flat bread is unique to the people of the Indian sub-continent and an integral part of Indian culture. It is a significant part of Indian cuisine and in India, at least one meal of a day will include Roti. Indians are spread far and wide all over the world and have taken the Roti along with them wherever they have settled.
The beauty about Indian cuisine is that each and every dish is paired with a different type of Roti or with rice which gives every dish it’s own unique identity. In North India, it is always bread and hardly rice. Rice is often available, but there’s nothing like a hot piece of freshly made Tandoori roti with a saucy dish like the Sarson di Saag!
So, how many kinds of breads can we ‘break’ together or share!Roti has many different varieties and methods of preparation. First there is the Chapati and the Phulka, Kulcha, Naan, Paratha and many more.
So, which came first ? The Chapati or the Naan!? Actually it was the Naan around the 14th Century followed by the Chapati in the 16th century.
Naan is a soft, leavened flatbread made of white flour that is traditionally cooked in a tandoor or clay oven and served either plain, buttered, or stuffed. Naan originated in India after the arrival of yeast from Egypt. Due to its pairing with Mughlai and North Frontier cuisine, many believe Naan, like Kebabs came from Persia and was developed by the Mughals
.
Another front-runner across India has been the Parantha. Basically a fried Roti, but rolled out thicker, it is fried on a tawa. It is a hot favourite paired with Kebabs too. Stuffed Paranthas …. With potatoes cauliflower or mooli are hugely popular and served with butter, curd or pickles.
Another fried bread is the Kulcha. It is made with flour, adding raising agents like baking soda, to make it fluffy like pooris, it almost replicates the Naan in its chewiness and soft bite. Paired with Channa Masala it is a yummy combination !
Bread, the ‘staff of life’ is a mainstay of people’s diet throughout history all over the world. Bread is used symbolically in both the Old and the New Testaments and even inspires poetry ! Omar Khayyam included it in one of his poems!
