The Nan-i-Afghan
Nan-i-Afghan or Afghan bread, is the national bread of Afghanistan. It is a flat bread that is baked in a tandoor or a cylindrical oven that is made out of bricks.
This is Afghan bread fresh off the tandoor. It smells so good, and of course, best eaten while still hot. Sold at AED 1 ($0.27) each, one piece is more than enough for a one person since it is around 12 inches in diameter.
Watching it being made.
Most of the time, we can just call their shop to give our order, and they deliver the freshly baked bread to our doorstep. (Fun Fact: Here in the UAE, you can even call the store to deliver you a bottle of soda, and they will!)
One fine night in February though, we decided to go to this bakery to buy a few.
The bakery is located in a small building, away from the main road. You'd never know about this shop if you were just to drive around. Hubby only discovered it when he passed by while he was walking from work.
Inside the shop, you fill find these men busy preparing the dough. They actually have prepped rolls of dough already. They will knead, flatten, and bake as you order.
He lays the flat dough on a "pillow", to help him safely stick them to the tandoor.
This is the tandoor, or the brick oven. It actually is a big hole right in front of the baker, which is extremely hot! The fire is powered by gas cylinder (LPG).
It takes only a few minutes until the bread is ready. Using a long metal stick, the baker will fish the bread out of the tandoor, let it cool a little before putting it in a bag.
Enjoy your freshly baked Nan-i-Afghan
Afghan bread is also widely made/sold here in the Middle East, and is commonly eaten with labneh and honey, cheese, mortadella, among others. My Jordanian colleagues would eat these with sliced cucumber and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and voila! Lunch done! We'd sometimes eat these with falafel and labneh. Oh dear, I am really craving now...
One of my favorites is this cheese bread which I eat mostly paired with brewed black coffee. Perfecto!
At home, I also love eating it with peanut butter (very non Middle Eastern! lol). But hey, we can add our own taste of home to these traditional bread, can't we!
Tip! You've got to eat this bread while hot, as it gets a little rubbery in texture when it gets cold.
It's been three long months since I last had Nan-i-Afghan. No thanks to Covid-19. I've not had the chance to pass by this bakery, I am not even sure if they are open.
I wonder when I can be able to eat this again?
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