The first time I watched a Uyghur baker pull a sesame naan from the dome oven at 7 a.m., I bought three for the road and ate the last one, still good, nine days later in the desert. Few travel foods suit Xinjiang better than this.
Naan (馕) is the everyday bread of Xinjiang, baked in a rounded tandoor-style oven called a naan kang, and it is the single most useful food to know as a self-driver. It keeps for days in the dry climate, needs no fridge, and turns any roadside picnic or long desert stretch into a real meal with a thermos of tea. This guide covers the main types, what they cost, where to buy, and how to pack them so they survive a week on the road.
What naan actually is
Unlike soft sandwich bread, Xinjiang naan is a flat disc of wheat dough, often stamped with a decorative pattern, brushed with water or onion juice, and slapped onto the inner wall of a hot clay oven where it bakes in a few minutes into something crisp at the edge and chewy in the middle. The dough is lean, with little or no fat, which is exactly why it keeps so well. You will see stacks of it cooling on racks outside bakeries in every town from Urumqi to Hotan, and the smell of baking naan is one of the constant backgrounds of a Xinjiang road trip. It pairs naturally with the region’s noon-time lamb skewers and the evening milk tea.
- Flat wheat disc baked on the oven wall
- Lean dough, little fat, keeps for days
- Sold from racks outside almost every bakery
The main types you will meet
Sesame naan (芝麻馕) is the all-rounder, mild and sturdy. Onion naan (皮牙子馕) folds in chopped onion for a savoury bite and is my road favourite. Oil naan (油馕) is richer and softer, closer to a shortbread texture. Meat naan (肉馕) hides a spiced lamb filling and eats like a meal. The small ‘wowo’ naan (窝窝馕) has a raised centre and a thicker crumb. Sizes run from a side-plate 20 cm disc to a wagon-wheel 35 to 40 cm version meant for sharing. Each bakery has its own recipe, so the same name tastes slightly different town to town, which is part of the fun.
- Sesame: the everyday staple
- Onion: savoury, best for the road
- Meat: a full meal in a disc
Price, where to buy, and freshness
A plain sesame naan typically costs 3 to 6 RMB, an onion or oil version 5 to 8 RMB, and a meat naan 10 to 18 RMB depending on size and filling. Buy from a neighbourhood bakery (馕房) rather than a supermarket, because the oven-fresh ones at 8 a.m. are dramatically better than day-old packaged stacks. In big bazaars like Urumqi’s International Bazaar or Kashgar’s old town you can watch them come out of the oven and buy warm. Ask for ‘gang kao de’ (just baked) and point at the size you want; most bakers have little spoken English but the gesture and a smile work fine.
- Plain 3 to 6 RMB, meat 10 to 18 RMB
- Buy at a bakery, not the supermarket
- Ask for just-baked in the morning
Why it is the perfect road-trip food
Xinjiang’s climate is dry, and a plain naan stored in a cloth or paper bag stays edible for a week, softening but never spoiling. That makes it ideal for the long empty stretches of the G3012 or the Taklamakan desert highway where a restaurant might be 100 km away. I keep a bag of three or four in the car at all times, break one with a piece of lamb or a tomato at a rest area, and use it to soak up the broth in a noodle stop. It also doubles as breakfast with the thermos of hot water most hotels provide. No cooler, no mess, no waste.
- Keeps ~1 week in dry air, no fridge
- Ideal for G3012 and desert highway gaps
- Pairs with lamb, tomato, or hotel hot water
Eating it well: tea, jam, and soup
Locals eat naan dipped in milk tea (奶茶), crushed into laghman soup, or alongside watermelon in summer. At a guesthouse I have been given a plate of naan with apricot jam and it was a perfect light breakfast before a Duku drive. If a naan goes stale, moisten it slightly and warm it in a pan, or break it into a broth where texture matters less. Avoid the mistake of sealing it in a plastic bag while still warm, which traps steam and turns the crust soft; let it cool first, then a paper bag is best. Treat it as the backbone carb of your trip and you will eat better and cheaper.
- Dip in milk tea or crush into soup
- Warm stale naan in a pan to revive it
- Cool before bagging or the crust softens
| Type | Fill | Price | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sesame (芝麻馕) | None | 3 to 6 RMB | Everyday staple |
| Onion (皮牙子馕) | Onion | 5 to 8 RMB | Road trips |
| Oil (油馕) | Fat | 5 to 8 RMB | Softer snack |
| Meat (肉馕) | Lamb | 10 to 18 RMB | A full meal |
Practical takeaways
- Buy three or four at a time and keep them in the car.
- Let naan cool before bagging so the crust stays crisp.
- Pair with the hot water most hotels provide for breakfast.
- Watch for just-baked racks outside bazaar ovens.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does naan stay good on a trip?
- In Xinjiang’s dry climate a plain naan keeps for about a week in a paper or cloth bag, softening but remaining safe to eat, which makes it ideal for long desert drives.
- Where should I buy the best naan?
- From a neighbourhood bakery or bazaar oven in the morning when it is just baked; supermarket stacks are usually a day old and less flavourful.
- How much does naan cost?
- Plain sesame naan is about 3 to 6 RMB, onion or oil versions 5 to 8 RMB, and a meat-filled naan 10 to 18 RMB depending on size.
- Can I eat naan with other foods?
- Yes, dip it in milk tea, crush it into noodle soup, or serve it with lamb and watermelon; it is the versatile backbone carb of the region.