this nan, which comes in regional variations, is made in tandoors (big ovens) sunk in the ground, with their sooty gaping mouth at the top. a fire at the bottom heats the claysides of the tandoor, on which the nan is baked. this breadmaking is a highly collaborate effort!
one man forms little balls of dough;
one man rolls them out to thin pancakes;
one man is responsible for slapping these flats onto the sides of the oven.
before baking, a sprinkling of sia dana (black onion seeds) &/or khash khash (poppy seeds) adds the finishing touch. the steaming results are then displayed & sold a little differently depending on where you are: in large baskets wrapped up in layers of cloth to keep the heat, or hanging up in the nan-e wayis (bakeries).
the most common bread is an elongated large bread which can easily for used as a eating utensil. it is also made as a round, & for some reason it tastes better in this shape... the best bread (according to my opinion!) is found in mazar, where they are baked as thicker smaller rounds. & better still is the mazary bread that is made in the homes, nan-e khanagi; this is a treat every time i go to mazar!
nan is treated particularly. it is carried & served right side up, the handling conveys a sense of importance. after a meal, the remaining bread is wrapped in the tablecloth & kept; no nan is thrown away. dry nan is dipped in soup or tea. also, piles of dried scraps of nan can be seen on the street: old dried nan is used for feeding animals.
the word nan can also synonymously be used for food. i made this mistake the first time i was here, asking for only some nan-e afghani, meaning a simple piece of afghan bread & being presented with a fullfledged afghan meal...
variations of nan:
nan-e khushk: literally dry bread, which you ask for if you will not eat anything else, just bread.
nan-e khanagi: the nan which is made in homes, usually with coarser wholewheattype flour, giving an amazing fragrant brownbread. a definite favourite!!
nan-e bazaari, nan-e tandoori: nan from the market
nan-e roghani: breakfast nan where they knead in some ghee (fat) into the dough before rolling it out & baking it.
nan-e gird: round nan
nan-e panja kashi: large, elongated nan
nan-e tawagi: thin bread made on a tawa (like chapatti in pakistan); can also be called nan-e chapatti
kulchi-e tandoori: sweeter bread, made with milk & sugar
nan-e wayi – bakery
nan-e way – baker (men make the bread in the nan-buis, while women make the bread in the homes)
bui-e nan – aroma of nan
this steamingnanaroma compells to nibbling on the way home from the nan-e wayi, mm-hmm!
one of little luxuries of the multifaceted life here.
