Roti

Name	Roti
Caption	Indian flat roti, also known as chapati
Country	Indian subcontinent
Region	South Asia
Main ingredient	Atta flour
Variations	Chapati, Makki di roti, Tandoori roti, Roti canai

Roti is generally an Indian bread made from stoneground wholemeal flour, traditionally known as atta flour. Its defining characteristic is that it is unleavened. The Indian bread naan, in contrast, is a yeast-leavened bread.

Roti and its thinner variant, known as chapati, are an integral part of Indian cuisine. It is particularly popular in northern India, Central India and Western India. In the Indian state of Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat, poli and bhakri denote unleavened Indian breads.

Etymology

The word roti is derived from the Sanskrit word रोटिका (roṭikā), meaning "bread." Names in other languages are ; ; ;; ; ; }}; Dhivehi: ރޮށި; ; ;. It is also known as rotli in Gujarati, maani in Sindhi and phulka in Punjabi and Saraiki.

India, Bangladesh and Pakistan

There are many different variations of flat breads found in many cultures across the globe, from Indian subcontinent to the Americas. The traditional flat bread originating from the Indian subcontinent is commonly known as roti, pronounced "rho tee". It is normally eaten with curries or cooked vegetables; it can be called a carrier for curries or cooked vegetables. It is made most often from wheat flour, cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a tawa. It is similar to the tortilla in appearance. Like breads around the world, roti is a staple accompaniment to other foods, and may be spread with ghee (clarified butter).

Blended roti

Whole wheat can be blended with other flours; below is the ratio for one of the most nutritious mixtures:

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka probably the most popular type of roti is pol roti (coconut roti), made of wheat flour, kurakkan flour or a mixture of both and scraped coconut. Sometimes chopped green chillies and onion are added to the mixture before cooking. These are usually thicker and harder than other roti types. They are usually eaten with curries, or some types of sambol or lunu miris and considered a main meal rather than a supplement.

Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand

being prepared at an Indian food outlet.]] In Indonesia, Malaysia, and Somalia, the term encompasses all forms of bread including western-style bread as well as the traditional Punjabi breads.

In Thailand, "roti" refers to the maida paratha—known in Malaysia as roti canai and in Singapore as roti prata—which is sometimes drizzled with condensed milk, rolled up, and eaten as a hot snack, or fried with egg as a larger dish.

West Indies

Roti also features prominently in the diet of many Caribbean countries, especially Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica. West Indian roti are primarily made from wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and water and cooked on a tava. Certain rotis are also made with butter. There are several types of roti made in the West Indies.

Guyana

Depending on where Indians settled in Guyana, foods can be different. In some parts of Guyana, Dosti Roti is made. Indo-Guyanese food as a whole can be different from their Trinidadian brothers, including the names of many items.

A small amount of fat is placed in each piece of dough before it is rolled out to make the roti softer. Usually Vegetable oil is used, but butter, or margarine can also be used. Ghee is not used in everyday Guyanese cooking, and is only used by the Hindus on religious occasions. The Roti is usually clapped by hand or beaten a bit, hot off the tava, so it softens but does not break.

A good roti in Guyana is one that is very soft, with layers (almost like pastry layers if possible), which remains whole.

Depending what is placed in the dough before it is rolled out, that is the type of roti one gets. Various types include Dhalpuri, potato roti, and even sugar(to keep the kids busy, while the mother finishes cooking).

Among the Indo-Guyanese, a rolled out dough that is deep fried in ghee is called a puri, and is only made for Hindu religious gatherings. Therefore a Dalpuri is not really a puri, as a puri and a roti are two different things.

Another item prepared like roti is bake or bakes or floats. Dough is rolled out and cut into shapes or rolled into small rounds. Guyanese bakes or floats are fried, but bakes from other parts of the West Indies can can be baked in an oven. They are sometimes called frybake. Bake are usually paired with a fryup for breakfast or dinner, or with stewed saltfish. Bakes is also made in other parts of the West Indies including Trinidad, Barbados and St. Vincent.

Other dishes

roti roll]] The word 'roti' in the West Indies may also refer to a dish of stewed or curried ingredients wrapped in a 'roti skin'. In Trinidad and Tobago various rotis are served. Popular variations include chicken, conch, beef and vegetable. Shrimp and goat are available. The term is used locally in cities with large West Indian populations, such as Brooklyn, Toronto and Montreal. In such locales the dish has also become popular among non-West Indians.

Roti, pronounced "Rooti" in Cape Town, is also a staple food source amongst many of the Indian, Asian and Cape coloured communities living in South Africa and is either eaten as a flat bread or a wrap with locally made curries.

While common variations may include chicken, beef, or cabbage and carrot, one of the more authentic alternatives (goat) is known as Groti.

In Suriname roti refers mainly to roti dahlpuri or roti aloopuri. It is most often eaten with chicken curry. Roti can also refer to a dish of stuffed and spiced roti wraps. Due to mass emigration of Surinam Hindustani in the 1970s, roti became a popular take-out dish in the Netherlands. It usually includes chicken curry, potatoes, boiled eggs and various vegetables, most notably the kousenband or yardlong bean. Another variation includes shrimp and aubergine. It is custom to eat the dish by hand.

See also

Chapati

Puri

Naan

Paratha

Kulcha

Bhatura

Luchi

Roti canai

Roti (film)

Kottu Roti

Wrap roti

References

Category:Indian cuisine Category:Indian breads Category:Bihari cuisine Category:Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Category:Punjabi cuisine Category:Sindhi cuisine Category:Pashtun cuisine Category:Balochi cuisine Category:Kashmiri cuisine Category:Jamaican cuisine Category:Flatbreads Category:Pakistani breads Category:Pakistani cuisine Category:Unleavened breads Category:Bengali cuisine Category:Punjabi words and phrases Category:Somalian cuisine Category:Hindi loanwords Category:Gujarati cuisine Category:Trinidad and Tobago cuisine Category:Types of roti Category:Indian inventions