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Copyright © 2025 Foodies Only
5 min
17/02/2026
Khapli wheat is one of the oldest cultivated grains of India and is easily found in the market by its regional names like Samba, Popathiya, and Ravva, based on its location and culture.
Understanding the regional names for khapli wheat is more than just a fun fact: it is essential to the success of your cooking. Due to the diversity of languages in India, khapli wheat can have a variety of names when you look for it based on where you live. If you want to prepare a variety of healthy, authentic Indian breads or other innovative dishes, knowing the correct name for khapli wheat will help you find the real khapli wheat (as opposed to modern wheat) in the marketplace, and how Aashirvaad Namma Chakki 100% Khapli Atta helps close the gap between khapli and consumers. This knowledge will also connect you to the agricultural history of your area and to the many communities that are working to bring back these traditional crops.
Khapli, scientifically known as Emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum), is one of the first domesticated crops in both India and the world. In comparison to modern wheat, khapli wheat has superior nutritional value due to its lower gluten content, higher levels of dietary fibre, and slower rate of digestion; therefore, it is a very healthy choice for today's health-conscious consumers.
Khapli wheat is commonly referred to as samba wheat or simply ravva when it has been milled in southern India (particularly in certain regions, including Karnataka/Andhra Pradesh). The word samba refers to the reddish/robust traits of the wheat and is commonly used by the general population, especially in traditional markets. These types of names play a large role in how you would find traditional flours in coastal/southern cities.
In Maharashtra and Gujarat, khapli wheat can be found under its more widely used name khapli; however, in other Gujarati communities, you will hear popathiya as well. You can expect to see both of these names on bags at mandis or while comparing grains in the local spice/seed markets. If you are trying to find khapli wheat for use at home, there are brands such as Aashirvaad Namma Chakki 100% Khapli Atta available that provide you with authentically sourced ground khapli to bring this ancient grain into your daily cooking.
In Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh, emmer wheat is referred to locally as Godhumalu or similar variations in local scripts. This name directly relates to the Tamil and Malayalam versions of the word wheat, which is particularly helpful when navigating cereal markets in these areas.
Khapli wheat may go by the name khapli wheat or khapli gehun, depending on where you live within the Hindi-speaking belt of Northern states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Occasionally, certain people will refer to khapli simply as emmer, which is often mixed into their conversation when speaking in their native language to explain what type of wheat it is. However, since khapli is grown in such limited quantities in the overall food supply chain, it is helpful to have a few other identifiers when trying to locate it on store shelves.
If you are in a large open market or your local grocery store and want to avoid getting modern hybrids, then you should use both the terms, khapli wheat or emmer wheat, to identify them first and then follow that with other regional names, such as samba, popathiya, and the local names mentioned above. This approach should help you to overcome any communication barriers as well as help direct your vendor to the product you are looking for. Apart from this, Aashirvaad Namma Chakki 100% Khapli Atta is also a great option to acquire excellent quality khapli.
Once you've identified and located khapli, samba or popathiya, you discover a healthy source of food. It's high in dietary fibre, which aids in digestion, protein, which supports muscle and cell function, iron, which assists in energy production and metabolism, low levels of sugar, and minimal amounts of fat. It is these properties that are drawing health-focused cooks to khapli.
