 Kulcha with chole from India | |
| Type | Flatbread |
|---|---|
| Region or state | Punjab |
| Associated cuisine | Indian, Pakistani, Punjabi |
| Main ingredients | Maida |
Kulcha is a type of flatbread made from refined wheat flour, and fermented in earthen pots and baked in a tandoor.1 The term kulcha derives from a Persian term for a disc-shaped loaf of leavened bread. In India, this term is commonly used for regular English disc-shaped bread.2
Another variant of kulcha is khatai or sweet kulcha, which is prepared in a similar manner, but with sugar substituted for salt.3
Origin and terminology
The term kulcha is Persian (کلوچه) and describes a disc-shaped loaf of bread, bun or even biscuit.24 However, in India this term came to be associated with round breads popularized during the British colonial period.5
In some parts of India, naan or tandoori parantha is often confused with kulcha.
References
References
- Joshi, V. K. (5 January 2016). Indigenous Fermented Foods of South Asia. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4398-8790-5.
- Steingass, Francis; Richardson, John; Johnson, Francis (1892). A Comprehensive Persian-English Dictionary: Including the Arabic Words and Phrases to be Met with in Persian Literature, Being Johnson and Richardson's Persian, Arabic, and English Dictionary Rev., Enl., and Entirely Reconstructed. Allen.
- Tamang, Jyoti Prakash (2 March 2020). Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of India: Science History and Culture. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-15-1486-9.
- "Definition of کلیچه". Dehkhoda Lexicon Institute and International Center for Persian Studies. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- Manfield, Christine (4 November 2021). Christine Manfield's Indian Cooking Class. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-76085-244-3.