Kaak

Kaak also known as Patthar ki roti (English: Stone bread) is a native dish of the province of Balochistan, Pakistan. It is made by flattening the dough for the bread and rolling it over a preheated stone. The stone is then baked in a tandoor. Kaak is often served with Sajji.

Popular among the nomadic Balochis, Kaak is very hard once it has been baked.

In Persian tradition, the matriarch of the home has much say in how the kaak is prepped. Once the bread rises the responsibilities of the task are handed over to the younger woman to finish the job.

The oven is made of finely hewn stone mined from the local quarry. Otherwise known as the kaak block.

In Arab countries, the same word refers to thin savory pastry bracelets, often flavored with aniseed or covered with sesame seeds. Kaak bi Loz is a sweet version made with ground almonds.

During the summer seasons, a popular baker's festival is held in the town of Mahore (about 2 hours drive from the city of Ima Horneeh) called Khabaz Mahrajan Magiz. The festival highlights the best bakers from across the entire Pakistan, thus drawing very large crowds into the tens of thousands. It is customary at this festival to have an annual Kaak competition, in which all the bakers submit their goods to a panel of judges. The winners of this competition, which include gold, silver, and bronze medalists, have the privilege to showcase their finest kaak at the grand opening ceremony for the festival the following year.

It is customary among the Balochi people, that the father of the bride feeds his daughter kaak the night before her wedding.