If I understand correctly, you’re supposed to tear a little piece off and use it to scoop up the food. I also understand that in many cultures, it is considered taboo to touch food with the left hand. Does that apply in this case? If so, how do you tear off a piece of naan with just one hand? Also, while the naan can soak up the curry and other juicy goodness quite well, I find it somewhat difficult to use it to pick up anything solid. Everything is so wet and slippery and stuff just keeps falling off. Is there any secret technique, or should I just practice some more? Thanks.
That’s a chapatti.
Can’t help you with that part.
Not surprising. Naan’s far too thick and inflexible to pick things up.
Depends on the type of Naan (as most of the Naan I eat isn’t really thick or inflexible at all). You just tear off a triangular piece and then use it to pinch the rice/curry mixture or the vegetables or such things.
If you can imagine how to scoop refried beans or such into a tortilla without using forks and knifes it’s that sort of a motion. You pick up the naan, you scoop or pinch the Rice/Curry mixture (This might be the issue)- Practice picking up solid foods first with your naan. Like if you order Lamb curry or chicken curry- use the Naan to pinch off a piece and grab and eat a piece of chicken. That’s pretty much the gesture you would use to eat a ball of rice. If you can pick up a piece of chicken, you can pick up rice, and then you can mix the rice and curry to create a creamy/wet mixture, and use the naan to pick that up using pretty much the same motion.
It’s quite common in many cultures to use your bread to scoop up, not “the food” (as in rice, potatoes or steak) but sauces and the likes with bread. – I’m not sure who would be “The Supposer”, but if you are going to scoop up something from your plate, it makes sense not to use a whole loaf, or for that matter, a whole naan, but a handy piece of it.
As far as I know, in many middle eastern countries you use one hand for eating and the other hand for… well, less hygienic stuff we all do once in a while. I don’t believe they get hysteric about it though and manage to eat without the complications you’re looking for.
They use magic. Instead of fork, spoon and knife, they use magic. Black magic, sometimes.
Fuck etiquette ( well, when appropriate - don’t be rude 
). Just use a fork or spoon and heap a bunch of stuff on your naan. It works for me. I also scoop successfully, but I always have western utensils when eating Indian food ( like for lunch today, only I had an onion and mango kulcha instead of naan ).
Also I’m left-handed. C’est la vie.
Thanks. Yes, the rice/curry mixture is the biggest issue. A large proportion of what I try to pick up tends to fall off when I try to lift it off the plate. I guess I’ll just keep trying some more.
First of all, I’m not Indian, but I spent two and a half months in India last summer, during which time I ate a lot of food.
I’ve never seen anyone shy away from tearing their naan or roti with both hands. Indians generally don’t seem too shy about touching their food with their fingers. In fact, it is standard in many restaurants to just eat with your fingers. (In cheaper places, I had to ask for a spoon - I tried eating with my fingers a few times, but it turned out to be tougher than I had anticipated. In more upscale places, there’s a full set of silverware.) You ladle your curry on top of your rice, mix it all up with your fingers, and then pick it up and drop it into your open mouth. (And, if you’re me, all over your shirt as well.)
If you have naan or roti, rip into shreds large enough to grab onto some of your chunks of paneer or potatoes. This may not work if you have a very thin sort of curry.
Here’s the thing: Indian food often consists of some sort of meat- or veggie-based sauce (i.e. the curry) and something filling to eat it with. This will often be either wheat based bread (chapatti, naan, roti) or rice based (boiled rice, idli, dosa). Normally one would expect to have only one of the “fillers” i.e. rice or bread - both serve the same function when you eat with your hands - they provide a vehicle for transferring meat + sauce from the plate to your mouth. Having both at the same time is overkill. Like having both pasta and potatoes at once.
It is completely up to you to decide whether you prefer “scooping” or “pinching” with the bread. I remember something about the choice of technique actually being a sign of cast/jat in some circumstances.
this link has interesting diagrams for scooping with lebanese bread … but does involve both hands!
Naturally Wikipedia has an entire entry about it.
I’m not an expert, but I spent enough time in India to note a lot of my Indian friends using a one-hand tear of their chapati, and even the naan. But I saw enough two handed tearing and scooping to develop the impression it’s not a big social faux pas. (Of course, my colleagues might’ve been dumbing it down a bit to eat with the fat sloppy Westerner.)
Facility using the grains in the meal to soak up and convey the veg, meat and sauces just takes some practice to develop. During a two week visit, I would get fairly decent at it, but I still mourned the absence of a knife with most meals! -I almost always had a spoon available, usually also a fork, but was never offered knives except in a few high end restaurants.
I’d have to show you but I, even being Indian, hate having my hands dirty, and thus am quite good at doing it with one hand.
The way you do it, is you kind of use your ring and pinky fingers to steady the naan/roti/chapati in place, and you tear off a bit with your thumb and forefingers. Generally you then wrap it around a bit of meat or cheese or whatever and pinch, and lift to mouth. Repeat. Make sure it is not too big of a piece, is all.
That way my left hand is always clean so I can pick up the drink, whatever. I don’t really care about not eating with my left hand culturally.
Granted, I don’t eat a lot of naan - it is way too filling and completely buries the taste of the delicious food, I find.
And I also don’t like eating rice and dahl or what have you with my fingers. Sure I can do it, and have done it, but we invented these wonderful things called spoons. Besides, sometimes the dahl can be really thin, and sometimes I prefer to just have the dahl straight. I will sometimes dip my roti into the dahl, though!
Anaamika has it. Jam your roti/naan/whatever against the plate with the outer fingers, and use your forefinger and thumb to tear away from there. Use it as a scoop for the semi-liquid stuff and a wrap for something more solid. It takes less skill than using chopsticks:)
Thanks guys. Now I need to go to Indian restaurants more often to practice!
Love Indian food - would go more often, but the only one near me is a bit pricey.
Regarding naan (umm…garlic naan!) - never saw a problem using both hands to rip the pieces.
Lots of primitive cultures have many silly taboos. Why would you think an educated person should pay any attention to them at all?
Because if you care about the feelings of your fellow diners, you won’t do anything to make them feel uncomfortable, no matter how silly their beliefs. And if you don’t care about the feelings of your fellow diners, why are you eating with them in the first place?
Because an “educated” person knows exactly which bacteria on the hand he’s just used to wipe his arse are going into the food he may well be sharing with others? Your comment is offensive and ill-informed.