The combination of a sweet, buttery and perfectly crumbly Nankhatai with a steaming cup of chai is a tradition dating back to the 16th century.
The British called it the "nuncatie". The word 'Nankhatai' comes from the Persian word'Nan' meaning bread and 'Khatai' probably comes from 'Catai' or 'Cathay', the older name for China. Thus, translating as 'Bread of Cathay'. Another version from Northeast Iran or Afghanistan is a type of biscuit, also referred to as Kulcha-e-Khataye.
An article entitled "Naan Khatai Cookie", written by Jennifer Bain, the food editor at theToronto Star,says the following: "This popular cookie is salty, sweet and eggless. Some historians claim that khatai is Persian and means six – the original six ingredients in the nankhatai of the 16th century, namely flour, eggs, sugar, butter or ghee, almonds and toddy as a leavening agent."
Origin of Nankhatai
A little History
Once upon a time......... ok I won't start with typical ISC school format.
Anyways, The history of the nankhatai is quite interesting. Towards the end of the 16th century, a couple of Dutch men set up a bakery in Surat to cater to the needs of the local Dutch populace. When the Dutch were leaving India, the owners handed over the bakery to a very enterprising employee, a Parsi gentleman Mr. Faramji Pestonji Dotivala.
Since the bread was made with palm toddy for fermentation, it didn't find favour with the local Indians. In order to save his bakery, Mr. Dotivala started selling the old bread and puff, which became dried, at a really cheap price. This dried version became so popular that he started drying the bread before selling it. Later, the dried version came to be known as the 'Irani Biscuit'.
The poor often dunked it in tea before consumption. The baker sensing an opportunity and with improvisations over a period of time, started making cookie shaped biscuits eventually called - nankhatai. The popularity of nankhatai grew and it was exported to Mumbai. The city housed a large number of Gujaratis and it soon became a tea time staple.
Mr. Dotivala, quite the entrepreneur and experimenter, then created the Farmasu Surti Batasa or butter biscuits, which are still very popular. He also created the now famous Nankhatai as an interpretation of a local sweet from Surat called' Dal' and also probably inspired by the Irani or Afghan Khatai.
Back in the days, ammonium bicarbonate was used as a raising agent in place of baking soda. Ammonium bicarbonate has also been used for centuries in China to make Chinese almond cookies and steamed buns. Hence, the reference to China or 'Cathay'.
The main ingredients for making nankhatai are easy to source. Nankhatai recipe needs maida/all - purpose flour, ghee/clarified butter, powdered sugar, salt and baking powder. Adding whole almonds add an irresistible appeal. One can also make a healthier version of nankhatai at home by adding some wheat flour, semolina or besan to the dough. So, the next time you reach out for store bought cookies or biscuits, try making some delicious and easy to make nankhtai at home.
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