Naan is the everyday bread of Xinjiang and it is not the flat, thin bread most visitors know from Indian restaurants. Here it is thick, chewy and substantial, baked against the wall of a clay tandoor, and it comes in a wide range of shapes and sizes depending on the town and the bakery.
How it is made
The dough is leavened, shaped by hand, and pressed with a wooden stamp that punches a pattern of holes into the centre so the bread does not rise into a dome. The baker slaps it onto the inner wall of a preheated clay oven, sometimes using a cushion or a hooked iron to reach in, and it bakes in a few minutes, coming out with a blistered, golden crust and a soft interior. The tandoors are built into the shopfront, so the whole process is visible from the street, and the smell carries a long way.
The varieties
The most common is a large, thick, ring-shaped loaf - girde naan - with a dense crumb that keeps for days and is used to mop up soups and stews. Small round breads with a hole in the middle are strung on a rope and sold that way. Sesame or onion-topped versions add flavour, and there are sweet breads baked with sugar and nuts, and savoury ones stuffed with lamb and onion, which are a meal in themselves. In the bazaars you will also find small crisp breads, bread baked with milk and butter, and bread studded with raisins.
Where to find it
Bakeries are everywhere, and the good ones are identified by a queue. In Urumqi, look along the streets around the Grand Bazaar and in the older residential quarters; in Kashgar, the old town has bakeries on almost every corner; in Turpan, small ovens operate from shopfronts in the villages. Bread is normally sold warm from the oven in the morning and again in the late afternoon. Because naan keeps well, it is also the traditional travel food across the desert oases and into the mountains.
Eating and etiquette
Naan is served with almost everything: kebabs, pilaf, noodle dishes, yoghurt and tea. Tear it with your hands rather than cutting it, and share from the same piece. In Uyghur households, bread is treated with some respect - it should not be thrown away, put on the ground or used for anything unclean - and visitors who handle it that way will be treated warmly. Buying a warm loaf and eating it on the street with a cup of tea is one of the simplest good meals in Xinjiang.
