''Tandyr nan'' is a type of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

cooked in a vertical clay oven, the ''

tandyr A tandoor ( or ) is a large vase-shaped oven, usually made of clay. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti (as well as leavened ones, such as naan) and to roast meat. Tandoors are predominantly use ...

'' or tandoor. It is circular and leavened with yeast, and typically has a crisp golden surface. They are often decorated by stamping patterns on the dough, and can be topped with ingredients like

sesame seeds Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for it ...

, nigella seeds, or thinly sliced

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

Preparation

Large ''tandyr'' ovens used to bake nan as well as cook meat are typically located outdoors. Unlike Indian tandoor ovens, in Central Asia the ''tandyr'' can be used in a vertical or horizontal position, although the bread is always baked in the fashion of a vertical oven, with the bread stuck onto the inner walls of the oven. The leavening can derive from

sourdough starter Sourdough is a type of bread that uses the fermentation by naturally occurring yeast and lactobacillus bacteria to raise the dough. In addition to leavening the bread, the fermentation process produces lactic acid, which gives the bread its dis ...

, as is traditional, or from brewers yeast. Several filled variants of the bread exist, such as Uyghur ''gosh nan and'' Turkmen ''atli nan''. Bakers of nan are called ''nonvoys''.

Designs

''Nan'' is often decorated with a central design in the shape of a circle consisting of patterned dots. This design is created with a stamp known in Uzbekistan as a ''chekich'' or in Turkmenistan or by Uyghurs in Xinjiang as ''durtlik''. In addition to giving each bakery's nan a distinct design, the holes created by the ''chekich'' allow steam to rise from the flattened interior part of the nan. A radial pattern of slashes or dots can also be added with a ''bosma'', a tool often made with reused bicycle spokes. Other bakers may use a ''chekich'' several times on the surface of their nan. Nan for festive occasions may have more elaborate designs or color added. Nan for engagements is often colored pink and yellow.

Cultural significance

In Uzbek culture, ''non'' has great cultural importance and is used in many ceremonies marking phases of life. Newborn babies have ''non'' placed under their heads to symbolize long life, and toddlers learning to walk have ''non'' placed between their legs to signify wishes of a blessed journey through life. Non is an essential wedding food, and on the day of the wedding, a bride and groom take bites of a non each, and finish it the following morning for their first breakfast as husband and wife. A similar tradition is also done when a son leaves for military service or to work or study abroad: the son will take bites of two non and they will be dried and hung on the ceiling until he returns. Non is treated as an important object, and should not be placed on the ground or cut with a knife (it is almost always broken by hand). If non is dropped, it should be placed on a wall or in a tree for birds, and the phrase ''aysh Allah'' (God's bread) is spoken aloud.

Names

* Kazakh, Kyrgyz: ''nan'' (), ''tandyr nan'' () * Tajik: ''non'' () * Turkmen: *

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

: ''nan'' (), ''tonur nan'' () * Uzbek: , * Chinese: ''náng'' () *

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

: ''lepyoshka'' (), ''tadyrnaya lepyoshka'' ()

Varieties

Obi non

''Obi non'' or ''lepyoshka'' (, "flatbread"), is a kind of

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 ...

Afghan Afghan or Afgan may refer to: Related to Afghanistan *Afghans, historically refers to the Pashtun people. It is both an ethnicity and nationality. Ethnicity wise, it refers to the Pashtuns. In modern terms, it means both the citizens of Afghanist ...

, Tajik and

Uzbek cuisine Uzbek cuisine shares the culinary traditions of peoples across Central Asia. Grain farming is widespread in Uzbekistan, making breads and noodles an important part of the cuisine, which has been described as "noodle-rich". Description Bread (''n ...

. It is shaped like a disc and thicker than

naan Naan () is a leavened, oven-baked or tawa-fried flatbread, that can also be baked in a tandoor. It is characterized by a light and fluffy texture and golden-brown spots from the baking process. Naan is found in the cuisines of Central Asia ...

. Obi non are baked in clay ovens called

Tohax

''Tohax'' (, , , ), also known as ''toqach'' or ''toghach'', is a type of tandyr bread consumed within the

Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC: previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwest of the country at the crossroads ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, as well as in many regions of

(

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

).В. В. Похлебкин, ''Национальные кухни наших народов'', Москва, Центрполиграф, 2004, , ( William Pokhlyobkin, ''National Cuisines of our Peoples'', Moscow, Centrpoligraf, 2004).

Gallery

Uyghur chon nan.JPG, Chon-nan Pitir nan.JPG, Pitir-nan Pitir nan2.jpg, Pitir-nan2 Tokach nan.JPG, Tohax-nan Патир-нон-01.jpg, Tashkent-style non Naan in Samarkand.jpg, Samarkand-style non Тандырные лепёшки на рынке (2).jpg, Tandyr nan sold in Kyrgyzstan KashgarNaan.jpg, A

nan baker in

Kashgar Kashgar () or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is a city in the Tarim Basin region of southern Xinjiang, China. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the country's border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. For over 2,000 years, Kashgar ...

Tamdyr6.jpg, Baking ''çorek'' in a Turkmen tamdyr

References

{{Xinjiang topics Afghan cuisine Chinese breads Flatbreads Jewish cuisine Kazakh cuisine Kyrgyz cuisine Soviet cuisine Tajik cuisine Uyghur cuisine Uzbek dishes