"Indian subcontinent was really a mixture of cultures."
Readymade naan dough spotted in a Swedish supermarket has left netizens surprised and it led to a discussion of its origin.
An image of the rare find was shared by Professor Ashok Swain of Uppsala University in Sweden on Twitter.
The delicious flatbread is a staple of many cuisines across the world including South Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East.
As a result, the origin of naan bread is something that is frequently disputed, with Professor Swain asking whether it was Indian or Pakistani.
The Desi diaspora shared their astonishment and took to the comments to try and work out an answer.
Had no idea that the Swedish supermarket would one day sell fresh dough for Naan!
BTW, Is Naan Indian or Pakistani? pic.twitter.com/G0Mj6VHrNF— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) November 2, 2021
Many noted that naan may not be Indian or Pakistani at all.
One person said: “Very interesting to see this in a foreign country.
“I guess naan originated from central Asia as many saying here.
“But naan in Punjab is pretty different I guess.
“In other countries, it’s more like a bun whereas in Pakistani Punjab it’s, more crispy and thin.
Someone else commented: “It’s Persian food. Indian subcontinent was really a mixture of cultures.”
Another person stated that naan was not Indian.
Its not Indian. It came from middle east when tandoor was brought. Indian cooking (pakki rasoi as it is said) had frying and boiling as main cooking methods. We ate poori and kachori etc for breads, not roasted or grilled (roti, naan etc).
— Khushboo ?? (@khushi0501) November 2, 2021
Meanwhile, others tried to stop any potential escalation of the subject.
One person said:
“Don’t worry. Just make naans and enjoy!”
Another person wrote: “Sir, ‘naan’ is a traditional item and we both (Pak,Ind) have almost the same culture. Therefore, it is ours.”
In 1926, Veeraswamy, the UK’s oldest surviving Indian restaurant became the first in the country to serve naan on its menu.
Meanwhile, Honeytop Speciality Foods became the first company in Europe to supply the flatbread commercially in 1984.
They also became the first brand to introduce it with a 13-week shelf-life while continuing to supply to restaurants and major retailers.
More recently, in 2004, Honeytop Speciality Foods created the ‘World’s Biggest Naan Bread,’ measuring 10-feet by 4-feet.
It took over five hours to make the food item which required eight members of staff to transport it.
Often referred to as naan bread, the food has now become a staple of South Asian eateries across the UK.
Different versions of naan have become popular depending on them either being stuffed or coated with specific toppings.
However, the most popular and arguably most delicious naan is the plain one, usually brushed with butter or ghee.
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