Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread.

[1] It is one of the most popular varieties of South Asian

breads[2] and is particularly popular in India,[3] Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, the Xinjiang
Autonomous Region of China, and Indian restaurants in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United
States of America, Australia, and New Zealand. Influenced by the large influx of Pakistani, Afghan
and Indian labour, Naan has also became popular in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.[4] It is
considered a typical bread of Northern India and Afghanistan.

Originally, naan is a generic term for various flat-breads from different parts of the world.[6] In
Turkic languages, such as Uzbek, Kazakh and Uyghur, the flat-breads are known as nan. The name
stems from (New) Persian, a generic word for bread. In Burmese, flat-breads are known as nan bya.
It i known to the Chinese as náng . The most familiar and readily available varieties of "naan" in
Britain (and other Western countries) are the South-Asian ones. In Iran, from which the word "naan"
has ultimately originated[citation needed], nān does not carry any special significance, as it is
merely the everyday word for "(any kind of) bread". On the other hand, naan in South-Asia usually
refers to a specific kind of thick flatbread (another well-known kind of flatbread is chapati).
Generally, it resembles pita bread and, like pita bread, is usually leavened with yeast; unleavened
dough (similar to that used for roti) is also used. Naan is cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven, 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 yoghurt may also be used to give greater volume and thickness to the
naan. Typically, the naan 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); Another variation is peshwari or peshawari naan. Peshawari naan
and Kashmiri naan are filled with a mixture of nuts and raisins; Kulcha is another type of Naan.
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 Indian
dish of balti, popular in Birmingham, England is always eaten with a naan and this has given rise to
the huge "Karack" or table naan, easy to share amongst large groups.

A typical naan recipe involves mixing white flour with salt, a yeast culture, and enough yogurt to
make a smooth, elastic dough. 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 3½ oz each), which are
flattened and cooked. In Pakistani cuisine, naans are typically graced with fragrant essences, such as
rose, khus (vetiver), with butter or ghee melted on them. Nigella seeds are commonly added in Naan
Breads 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
various toppings of meat, vegetables, and/or cheese. 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).