Navai-Nan: Delicious Flatbreads of the South

Nowhere else in Kyrgyzstan is there such a variety of tandoor flatbreads as in Osh! In almost every quarter there is a tandoor stand, where mouth-watering hot flatbreads are sold from daybreak onward. To prepare them, the master bakers get up as early as 3:00 in the morning, kindle the tandoor, and knead the dough. The smell of freshly baked flatbreads wafts over the city blocks as a signal that morning has come.

Tandoor stands are open from early morning until evening. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the tandoors often work until iftar, when people break the fast. In the Sheyit-Tebe quarter, there is even a special iftar bazaar that begins to operate.

The recipe for Osh flatbreads is simple. The ingredients are wheat flour, yeast and salt. Masters advise making it with sourdough starter, which gives the navai-nan (flatbreads) their delicious flavour. For festive or specialty types of flatbread, milk, melted butter, chili peppers, fried onions and thinly sliced meat are added. Huge patyr-nan decorated with poppy seeds are baked for weddings. To apply patterns on flatbreads, bakers use a chekich, a special metal stamp with a floral or geometric design. These are sold in a large assortment at the old bazaar and make wonderful souvenirs!

Osh flatbreads vary in their shape and size. For example, there are flatbreads with thickened edges, which are very convenient for taking pilau leftovers home from the chaykhana with you. Thanks to different fillings and recipes, Osh flatbreads have a wonderful taste and aroma. The surface of the flatbreads is abundantly sprinkled with sesame seeds, less often with poppy seeds. There is a legend that it was the wise Avicenna, the Persian father of early modern medicine, who proposed sprinkling flatbreads with sesame seeds, knowing that they have special properties which significantly reduce the incidence of water-borne illness. In the Ferghana Valley, including in Osh, various seeds and spices have been used as medicines ever since his time.