The delicious story of the Amritsari Kulcha, for which Punjab wants a GI tag

Punjab has two GI tags so far, phulkari embroidery and basmati rice, neither of which is, however, unique to the state alone. Other Indian products with GI tags include Darjeeling tea, Kullu shawl, Goa feni, Tirupati laddu, Assam gamosa etc.

Rakhee Gupta Bhandari, the state’s Principal Secretary, Food Processing, chaired a meeting at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, where she said that GI tag of the Amritsari Kulcha will enhance the city’s culinary legacy and unlock new opportunities for branding, exports, and market expansion, ultimately to the creation of more job opportunities.

What is the Amritsari Kulcha and what makes it special?

Flaky tandoori flatbread

The Amritsari or Ambarsari Kulcha is the iconic stuffed flatbread from the city of Amritsar. The leavened bread is made from refined flour (maida), and is baked in a tandoor (clay oven) until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The kulcha is typically stuffed with spiced mashed potatoes (aloo), cauliflower (gobhi), cottage cheese (paneer), onions, or even keema (minced meat) in non-vegetarian versions.

It is generously slathered with butter or ghee and served hot with chhole (spicy chickpea curry), tamarind chutney, pickled onions, and sometimes yogurt or dal.

Sometimes, the server scrunches the kulcha using both his hands just before putting it on the plate, to release steam from the inside and to unlock its flavours and aroma.

There is also a ‘wet’ variant of the dish, in which the kulcha is dunked in a bucket of chhole and allowed to absorb the flavours for a minute or so before it is served.

The kulcha is the staple street food of Amritsar, and its favourite breakfast. There are kulcha stalls in every neighbourhood of the city, and it is sold at a range of places from roadside carts to iconic dhabas with storied histories.

The kulcha forms a meal that is integral to daily life in Amritsar, one with deep connections to Punjabi hospitality and indulgence, and which carries with it the history and character of the city itself.

History and origin story of the Amritsari Kulcha

The technique of cooking in a clay oven goes back in time, and is thought to have evolved in various ways in response to a wide range of influences. Evidence of an early form of tandoor has been uncovered in Indus Valley sites such as Kalibangan, dating back to c.2,500 BCE.

The connection between, specifically, kulchas and Amritsar, can be traced back to at least 200 years ago. The flatbread is understood to have started out as a local adaptation of the naan prepared in tandoors.

Some accounts suggest French culinary techniques influenced the cooks who served British officers in colonial India, who then started to experiment with layering that gave the kulcha its characteristic flakiness.

Others suggest the kulcha may have been influenced by the techniques of khameeri roti (fermented bread), to which local cooks added potato and other kinds of fillings to make the dish more hearty and substantial.

Bread resembling the Amritsari kulcha of today was popular across pre-Partition Punjab, and a similar tandoor-made item continues to be enjoyed in many Punjabi cities and towns that are now part of Pakistan.

Pathi kulcha, a simpler version of the bread baked in clay ovens that is also considered typical of Amritsar, is thought to have originated in the city some time in the 1920s.

Uniqueness of Amritsari kulcha

The kulcha is understood to be different things by different people. What most people in Delhi consume as kulche with chhole is not the same as the Amritsari specialty that is thicker, stuffed, drenched in butter, and has a clear focus on fresh, local ingredients.

The journalist and food writer Vir Sanghvi describes Amritsar as the “kulcha capital of India”, which he says stands uniquely apart from other cities of Punjab such as Ludhiana, which too have very good kulchas.

What makes the Amritsari kulcha unique is the local preparation style: the dough is fermented with yogurt, milk, and leavening agents like baking powder and soda for the signature crispiness, then stuffed generously and baked in tandoors.

In his writings on the Amritsari kulcha, Sanghvi noted that “the secret of a good kulcha is layering”, in which “the flour is rolled into thin layers, which are then coated in ghee and put together”.

Sanghvi also pointed out that the tandoor must have a (relatively) low temperature, which essentially means that the restaurant concerned must have an oven that is dedicated to baking only kulchas – and cannot be also used for kebabs, which require a higher temperature.

“The key to a good kulcha”, Sanghvi wrote, quoting the master chef Manjit Gill, “is the manner in which you get the ghee to slowly melt and impart a flakiness to the kulcha. That can only happen at a low temperature”.

Legend has it that even Amritsar’s water, which is considered blessed, has a role in imparting to the Amritsari Kulcha its unique taste.

There is a popular story about a famous 60-year-old family-run kulcha shop on Maqbool Road in Amritsar that is said to have carried local water to Delhi for a food festival in the early 2000s, insisting that it was essential for the authentic taste.

Everyone who has enjoyed Amritsari kulchas has their own favourite shop, which they consider the “best”.

The names of establishments that come up frequently in discussions and recommendations are Bhai Kulwant Singh Kulchian Wale near the Golden Temple, the more-than-75-years-old Kesar Da Dhaba in Chowk Passian, Pehalwan near Chatiwind Gate, Brother’s and Bharawan Da Dhaba, both near Town Hall, and the chain Kulcha Land.

The kulchas of Amritsar are a source of its pride, and an attraction for tourists and locals alike.