Indian bread has long history

Naan comes from the Persian word for bread and refers to a flatbread primarily associated with India.

Traditionally, naan (pronounced NAHN and sometimes spelled "nan") was leavened by airborne yeasts and baked in a tandoor oven. Slapped on the hot side of the oven, naan puffs, browns and takes on a smoky flavor, all in about 60 seconds.

The classic teardrop shape comes from dough being stretched during baking. Other important Indian flatbreads include roti and chapatti, both of which are baked on a griddle.

If you've never seen a tandoor, it's worth asking the proprietor of an Indian restaurant if you can take a peek.

A commercial tandoor looks something like top-loading washing machine with a clay cylinder for cooking. With some imagination, you can conjure its ancient predecessors: Clay vessels excavated from Indus valley civilizations dating back to 3000 B.C.

A charcoal fire would be lighted at the bottom, and the tandoor's barrel shape would make for areas of very intense heat.

Today's commercial tandoors approach 900 degrees; hence naan's instantaneous puffed-up drama.

Historians speculate that since Neolithic times, when stone-age farmers first learned to mill wheat and barley, grain pastes baked on hearthstones have been staples of the human diet.

If you're lucky enough to travel to India, use naan to gather up food and sauces (in rustic settings, fingers are the only utensils), and use your right hand.

The left hand is used for personal hygiene, and eating with it constitutes very bad table manners.

GREEK FETA AND DILL SPREAD

Salty and pungent with feta cheese, this dip is best served with naan or with sweet dippers, such as red bell pepper strips or carrot sticks.

1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth.

Transfer mixture to bowl and serve as a spread or a dip.

Makes about 21/2 cups.

Recipe by Relish executive chef Jon Ashton.

NUTRITION PER (1/4 cup) serving: 80 calories, 5 grams fat, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, 0 fiber and 270 milligrams sodium.

Look for Relish magazine, celebrating America's love of food, each first Wednesday in The Augusta Chronicle. Learn more at relishmag.com.