Afghan bread

Nan-e Lavash

Afghani bread, or Nan-e Afghani, is the most popular bread in Afghanistan. The bread is oval or rectangle and baked in a tandoor, the primary cooking equipment of the sub-continent region. The Afghan version of the tandoor sits above ground and is round and made of bricks, which are heated to cook the bread. "Afghani bread", also known as nan, are shaped then stuck on the sides of the oven to bake. Often black cumin seeds or caraway seeds are sprinkled on the bread for decoration as much as taste, further lines are made in the dough lengthwise to add texture to the bread.

Afghani bread is commonly stocked at Middle Eastern grocery stores in western countries. In Afghanistan the baker still cooks the bread the traditional way by spreading the dough around the tandoor, whereby it gets puffy quickly and starts to colour and emit a fresh bread smell that draws the early morning throngs of people. The baker then uses two long iron tongs to pull the bread from the tandoor wall. It is carried in cloth bags by Afghans, unlike western breads packaged in plastic.

As in Arab countries, bread is served with most meals and used as an equivalent to a fork to envelope foods and soak up liquids on the plate. Generally the bread is torn into shreds and used to pinch the foods similar to a sandwich. The bread acts as a fork and spoon, as people in Afghanistan often use their hands to eat. The bread has no firm crust and tastes similar to Indian naan bread. It has a dense and rich taste.

See also

• Naan
• Pita