In a boost to Indian cuisine not only in the country but around the world, the mouthwatering Butter Garlic Naan has been voted at Number 1 in the ’50 Best Breads’ in the world list by TasteAtlas. The north Indian variety beat Amritsari Kulcha, its north India cousin to the top, as the latter appeared close at the second position in the list that was released on Thursday, October 16.
Interestingly the Parotta and Naan are two other Indian bread varieties that make it to the top 10 too at number 5 and 7 respectively. Showcasing India’s rich food diversity, the humble paratha also appears in the top 20 at number 16 followed by the Aloo Naan at number 26 – making that six Indian varieties in the top 50 breads of the world.
Surprisingly, the humble focaccia is nowhere in the top, and features at a lower 15, and wasn’t any different for the lavash that makes it to the list on number 26. The pandesal from Philippines completes the list.
While there are many types of breads across the world and India, it is surprising to see how the classic Mumbai favourite pav doesn’t feature at all on the list. Available in different parts of the country but made popular in the Maximum City, and the sunshine state of Goa, it is unique to the region and paired with many different dishes.
Interestingly, many of these have origins around the world. The Butter Garlic Naan has roots in the Persian flatbread, that was eventually brought to India by the Mughals, who also brought the kulcha to India, but the Amritsari version has become more famous over time. In a beautiful showcase of uniqueness, the Parotta is known to be a Kerala staple, whereas the paratha is from north India, along with the extremely soft naan.
