Luchi is a
deep-fried flatbread
A flatbread is bread made usually with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are Unleavened bread, unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pita bread. A Se ...
, made of
maida flour
Maida, ''maida flour'', or ''maida mavu'' is a type of wheat flour originated from the Indian subcontinent. It is a super-refined wheat flour used in Indian cuisine to make pastries and other bakery items like breads and biscuits. Some maida may ...
. Luchi is popular in India (especially
East
East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...
and
Northeast India
Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...
) and in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
.
Since luchi is made without rice or rice flour, it is a popular staple item at times when rice is to be avoided for ritual purposes, as in the case of
ekadashi
Ekadashi () is the eleventh lunar day (''tithi'') of the waxing (''Shukla Paksha, Shukla Pakṣa)'' and waning (''Kṛṣṇa Pakṣa)'' lunar cycles in a Hindu calendar, Vedic calendar month. Ekadashi is popularly observed within Vaishnavism one ...
. Luchi is often paired with vegetarian dishes such as
aloor dum or
ghugni, or with
mutton curry
Mutton curry (also referred to as kosha mangsho, lamb curry, or goat curry) is a dish that is prepared from goat meat (or sometimes lamb meat) and vegetables. The dish is found in different variations across all states, countries and regions ...
.
History

As per Hindī Śabdasāgara, the word ''Luchi'' or ''Luchui'' is derived from the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word ''Ruchi'' (रुचि), meaning something which is appetizing.
Bhakt Surdas, a renowned Hindu saint of
Bhakti tradition, makes a mention of ''Luchui'' in his
Braj
Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in ...
poetry.
See also
*
List of Indian breads
Indian breads are a wide variety of flatbreads and crêpes that are an integral part of Indian cuisine. Their variation reflects the diversity of Indian culture and food habits.
Ingredients
Most flatbreads from northern India are unleavened and ...
*
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to the Indian subcontinent. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally av ...
*
Bangladeshi cuisine
Bangladeshi cuisine has been shaped by the region's history and river-line geography. Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon climate. The staple foods of Bangladesh are rice and fish. The majority of Bangladeshi people are ethnic Bengali, with a ...
References
Bihari cuisine
Bangladeshi cuisine
Bengali cuisine
Deep fried foods
Flatbreads
Indian breads
Odia cuisine
Assamese cuisine
{{India-cuisine-stub