Sameer at 17:04, 21 February 2026

2026-02-21T17:04:35Z

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{{short description|South Asian flatbread}}
{{for|the Australian band|Kulcha (band)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Kulcha
| image = Chole Kulcha Meal - Order Food Online in Mumbai (31013272937).jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Kulcha with chole from [[India]]
| alternate_name =
| country =
| region = [[Punjab]]
| national_cuisine = [[Indian cuisine|Indian]], [[Pakistani cuisine|Pakistani]], [[Punjabi cuisine|Punjabi]]
| creator =
| type = [[Flatbread]]
| served =
| main_ingredient = [[Maida (flour)|Maida]]
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
'''Kulcha''' is a type of [[flatbread]] made from [[Maida (flour)|refined wheat flour]], and fermented in earthen pots and baked in a [[tandoor]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Joshi |first=V. K. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bjg0CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA372&dq=kulcha+bread&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source#v=onepage&q=kulcha%20bread&f=false |title=Indigenous Fermented Foods of South Asia |date=2016-01-05 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-4398-8790-5 |language=en}}</ref> The term kulcha derives from a [[Persian language|Persian]] term for a disc-shaped loaf of [[leavened bread]]. In [[India]], this term is commonly used for regular English disc-shaped bread.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Steingass |first1=Francis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mVrG0F-7yzMC&dq=Kulcha+Persian&pg=PA1042 |title=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 |last2=Richardson |first2=John |last3=Johnson |first3=Francis |date=1892 |publisher=Allen |language=en}}</ref>

Another variant of kulcha is [[Nankhatai|khatai]] or sweet kulcha, which is prepared in a similar manner, but with sugar substituted for salt.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tamang |first=Jyoti Prakash |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HRHUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA237&dq=kulcha+bread+history&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source#v=onepage&q=kulcha%20bread%20history&f=false |title=Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of India: Science History and Culture |date=2020-03-02 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-15-1486-9 |language=en}}</ref>

==Origin and terminology==
The term ''kulcha'' is Persian (کلوچه) and describes a disc-shaped loaf of bread, bun or even biscuit.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of کلیچه |url=https://dehkhoda.ut.ac.ir/en/dictionary/%DA%A9%D9%84%DB%8C%DA%86%D9%87 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Dehkhoda Lexicon Institute and International Center for Persian Studies |language=en}}</ref> However, in India this term came to be associated with round breads popularized during the [[British Raj|British colonial period]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manfield |first=Christine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8cwvEAAAQBAJ&dq=Kulcha+british+period&pg=PT556 |title=Christine Manfield's Indian Cooking Class |date=2021-11-04 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-76085-244-3 |language=en}}</ref>

In some parts of India, naan or [[Tandoori paratha|tandoori parantha]] is often confused with kulcha.

==See also==
*[[List of Indian breads]]
*[[List of Pakistani breads]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons category-inline}}

{{Flatbreads}}
{{Indian bread}}
{{Pakistani bread}}
{{Indian Dishes}}

[[Category:Indian breads]]
[[Category:Pakistani breads]]
[[Category:Indian cuisine]]
[[Category:Kashmiri cuisine]]
[[Category:Punjabi cuisine]]
[[Category:Roti]]
[[Category:Flatbread dishes]]

Kulcha - Revision history

Sameer at 17:04, 21 February 2026