Roti

Roti(also known aschapati)is a roundflatbreadoriginating from theIndian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in manySouth Asian,Southeast Asian,Caribbean, andSoutheast Africancountries.
It is made fromstonegroundwhole-wheat flour, traditionally known asgehu ka atta, combined into a dough with added water.Its defining characteristic is that it isunleavened.Naanfrom the Indian subcontinent, by contrast, is ayeast-leavened bread, as iskulcha. Like breads around the world, roti is astapleaccompaniment to other foods.
The wordrotiis derived from theSanskritwordroṭikā, meaning "bread".
Roti is made from a mixture of flour, water, and optionally salt and butter or oil.They are mixed together to create a dough which is left to rest. The dough is then divided into balls which are flattened with a rolling pin to form rotis. The rotis are then cooked on atavaor pan.
Many variations offlatbreadsand roti are found in many cultures across the globe, from the Indian subcontinent to Africa to Oceania to theMalay Peninsulato 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 atawa.Traditionally, rotis have also been made from the flour ofmillet,maize,jowar,bajra, and evenrice.Tandoori roti is cooked by sticking the flattened dough to the inside wall of atandooroven, where it bakes quickly at a high temperature.Chapatis are made ofwhole-wheat flourknown asatta, mixed into a dough with water,edible oiland optional salt in a mixing utensil called aparat, and is cooked on atava(flat skillet).It is known asphulkainPunjabiandSaraiki, andmaaniinSindhi.
InSri Lanka, there is a variant of roti calledpol roti(coconutroti),made of wheat flour, and/orkurakkanflour, 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 ofsambolorlunu mirisand considered a main meal rather than a supplement.
Another variety of roti popular in Sri Lanka iskottu roti,which is made up ofparathaorgodamba roti, These are cut into small pieces,small in size and rectangular or square in shape. Then on a square heating pan, vegetables and onions are fried. Eggs, cooked meat, or fish are added to fried vegetables and heated for a few minutes. Finally, the pieces of cutparathaare added. These are chopped and mixed by repeated pounding using heavy iron blades/spatula, the sound of which can be heard from a long distance. Depending upon what ingredients are used, the variations are vegetable, egg, chicken, beef, mutton, and fishkottu roti.It is sometimes prepared and served as a fast food dish.
Godamba rotiis another variety found inSri Lanka.Plaingodamba rotiis eaten with curryor it can also be wrapped around a savory filling.
Roti is eaten widely across theCaribbean, especially in countries with largeIndo-Caribbeanpopulations such asTrinidad and Tobago,Guyana,Suriname, andJamaica. Originally brought to the islands byindentured laborersfrom the Indian subcontinent, roti has become a popular staple in the culturally rich cuisines of these countries. In the Caribbean, roti is commonly eaten as an accompaniment to various curries and stews. The traditional way of eating roti is to break the roti by hand, using it to sop up sauce and pieces of meat from the curry. However, in the Caribbean, the term roti may refer to both the flatbread (roti) itself and the more popularstreet fooditem, in which the roti is folded around a savory filling in the form of a wrap.
Theroti wrapis the commercialization of roti and curry together as a fast-food or street-food item in the Caribbean. This wrap form of roti originated in southern Trinidad. It was first created in the mid-1940s by Sackina Karamath, who later founded Hummingbird Roti Shop inSan Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. The wrap was convenient, as the meal could be eaten faster and while on the go, as well as keeping one's hands from getting dirty. In Trinidad and Tobago, various wrapped roti are served, including chicken, conch, goat, beef, and shrimp. Vegetables can also be added including potato, pumpkin, and spinach as well a variety of local condiments, with pepper sauce (hot sauce) and mangochutneybeing the most popular. The roti wrap quickly gained popularity across the island and spread throughout the rest of the Caribbean.  The wrap is now simply referred to as a roti or just roti.  The growth in popularity has recently led to referring to the flatbread itself (roti) that surrounds the filling as a "roti skin" or "roti shell", a practice that is now common in both restaurants and commercial companies. Various types of roti are eaten throughout the West Indies. They are most prominently featured in the diets of people in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Suriname. Caribbean-style roti is primarily made from wheat flour, baking powder, salt, and water, and cooked on atawa. Certain rotis are also made withgheeorbutter.
Dosti rotiis common in Guyana.A small amount of fat is placed in each piece of dough before it is rolled out to make the roti softer. Usually,vegetable oilis used, but butter, ormargarinecan also be used. Ghee is not used in everyday cooking, but is used on special occasions, especially amongst Hindus. The roti is usually clapped by hand or beaten a bit, hot off thetava, so it softens but does not break.
In Suriname, roti refers mainly todhalpurioraloo puri. It is most often eaten with curried chicken. As in Trinidad and the West Indies, roti can also refer to the stuffed roti wrap. This dish is usually eaten out of hand. Due to a mass emigration of Indian Surinamese in the 1970s, roti became a populartake-outdish in the Netherlands. It usually includes chickencurry, potatoes, a boiled egg, and various vegetables, most notably thekousenbandoryardlong bean. Another variation includes shrimp andaubergine. The meat with gravy, potatoes, egg, and yardlong beans are served side by side on a plate, with thealoo purifolded in fours on top.
InIndonesiaandMalaysia, the term encompasses all forms of bread, including Western-style bread, as well as the traditionalIndianbreads.
InThailand, 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.
InCambodia, រ៉ូទី is a dessert that is sold as street food. It is similar to both acrêpeand paratha.
Roti was initially introduced to South Africa by Indian migrants during the 19th century, and subsequently became incorporated intoDurbancuisine. 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.
Similarly as with other countries that were part of theIndian diaspora, roti was introduced toMauritiusbyIndian migrants/indentured labourersduring the 19th century, and has since been a staple ofMauritian cuisineand a common street food.Roti generally refers tofarata(a local pronunciation ofparatha), a pancake made of wheat flour and water;other variants includedholl puri, which is layered, and stuffed with boiled and grounddal/split peas,andti puri, a smaller roti that is fried and usually served with seven different curries.
In Iran, the two variants of roti are calledkhaboosandlavash.  These two breads (the former of which is almost exactly prepared like Indian roti) are quite similar to other rotis.
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. AsIndo-Caribbean peoplemoved 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 distinctTorontooffering is the "East Indian roti", a variation on the stuffed roti from theWest 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.