File:Roti-obaid.jpg|Roti in the Indian subcontinent File:Roti Prata Curry Large.JPG|Singaporean
roti prata served with curry File:Plainrotiparatha.jpg|Plain
roti paratha File:Roti Wrap Trafasie.jpg|A Surinamese roti wrap with boiled egg and smoked chicken in the
Netherlands File:Thalichapati.jpg|Indian
thali with chapati File:Lunch special at Pakwan.jpg|Tandoori roti served with other dishes in an Indian restaurant File:Rumali roti.jpg|A chef preparing
rumali roti in India File:Bajhar_ji_maani.jpg|
Bajhar ji maani (bajra roti) in
Tharparkar,
Pakistan File:A thali with daal roti bhindi ki sabzi and mango pickle.jpg|Spicy vegetables served with rotis File:Roti pisang.jpg|Roti stuffed with
bananas Indian subcontinent Many variations of
flatbreads and roti are found in many cultures across the globe, from the Indian subcontinent to Africa to Oceania to the
Malay Peninsula to the Americas. The roti is a traditional flatbread from the Indian subcontinent. It is normally eaten with cooked vegetables or curries; it can be used as a carrier for them. It is made most often from wheat flour, cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a
tawa. Traditionally, rotis have also been made from the flour of
millet,
maize,
jowar,
bajra, and even
rice. Tandoori roti is cooked by sticking the flattened dough to the inside wall of a
tandoor oven, where it bakes quickly at a high temperature. Chapatis are made of
whole-wheat flour known as
atta, mixed into a dough with water,
edible oil and optional salt in a mixing utensil called a
parat, and is cooked on a
tava (flat skillet). It is known as
phulka in
Punjabi and
Saraiki, and
maani in
Sindhi.
Sri Lanka In
Sri Lanka, there is a variant of roti called
pol roti (
coconut roti), made of wheat flour, and/or
kurakkan flour, and scraped coconut. Sometimes, chopped green chilis 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. Another variety of roti popular in Sri Lanka is
kottu roti, which is made up of
paratha or
godamba roti, These are cut into small pieces, It is sometimes prepared and served as a fast food dish. Plain
godamba roti is eaten with curry as well as
bing of the Chinese. In
Thailand, โรตี is a popular street food that can be eaten as a dessert or as a side dish. Some Thai curries can also be accompanied with a side of roti, primarily Southern Thai curries. In
Cambodia, រ៉ូទី is a dessert that is sold as street food. It is similar to both a
crêpe and paratha.
South Africa Roti was initially introduced to South Africa by Indian migrants during the 19th century, and subsequently became incorporated into
Durban cuisine. It is widely eaten by the Indian communities living in South Africa, and is either eaten as a flat bread or a wrap with locally made curries. Roti is also often eaten in Cape Coloured and Cape Malay Communities. Two types of roti are eaten: chapati/flat roti and paratha/flaky roti. Flaky roti is also called Malay roti. When eaten with a curry filling, usually mutton, chicken or mince, the roti is called a Salomie. A roti gatsby is a popular takeaway dish where the bread of the filled gatsby, a popular sandwich is replaced several rotis and folded.
Mauritius Similarly as with other countries that were part of the
Indian diaspora, roti was introduced to
Mauritius by
Indian migrants/
indentured labourers during the 19th century, and has since been a staple of
Mauritian cuisine and a common street food. Roti generally refers to
farata (a local pronunciation of
paratha), a pancake made of wheat flour and water; other variants include
dholl puri, which is layered, and stuffed with boiled and ground
dal/split peas, and
ti puri, a smaller roti that is fried and usually served with seven different curries.
Iran In Iran, the two variants of roti are called
khaboos and
lavash. These two breads (the former of which is almost exactly prepared like Indian roti) are quite similar to other rotis.
Elsewhere Roti shops are now abundant in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Owing to Canada's considerable immigrant populations from both South Asia and the Caribbean, roti and its variants are popular there. As
Indo-Caribbean people moved to North American cities such as Toronto, New York City,
Miami, Los Angeles, and Montreal, they exported with them the wrapped version of roti. A distinct
Toronto offering is the "East Indian roti", a variation on the stuffed roti from the
West Indies. In some of these cultures, rotis are also being used in the place of pita bread when making burritos, quesadillas, or any other kinds of wraps. ==See also==