At a glance
- Roti is a filled flatbread, wrapped around a curry, emblematic of Indo-Caribbean cuisine
- Origin: Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, Caribbean
- Key ingredients: wheat flour, chickpeas, potatoes, curry powder
- A Sunday and street dish, sold wrapped like a wrap in roti shops
Origins and cultural history of roti
Roti is a flatbread inherited from Indian cuisine, brought to the Caribbean by indentured labourers from India. They arrived in Trinidad and Tobago starting in 1845, and in British Guiana, today Guyana, between 1838 and 1917, to work on the sugarcane plantations. They kept their food habits, including flatbread, rice, split pea dal and curried vegetables, which became staples of Indo-Trinidadian and Indo-Guyanese cuisine.
Roti comes in several versions: dhalpuri, a dough stuffed with seasoned split peas; paratha, also called “buss up shut”, a layered dough worked after cooking; and sada roti, a plain, unstuffed dough. Served wrapped around a chicken, lamb or chickpea curry, it is today sold as a takeaway dish in the roti shops of Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and their diasporas.
What are the key ingredients of roti
Making roti and its curry filling relies on a few ingredients found in most African and Caribbean grocers, including NKOSI, with the exception of the wheat flour and fresh vegetables.
- wheat flour
- dried chickpeas
- potatoes
- onion and garlic
- curry powder
- cumin and garam masala
What to know about roti
Roti is a flatbread inherited from Indian cuisine, brought to the Caribbean by indentured workers from India, and emblematic of the Indo-Caribbean cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. A Sunday and street dish, it is served rolled like a wrap around a curry of chicken, lamb, or chickpeas and potatoes (curry channa aloo). There are several versions: dhalpuri, stuffed with seasoned split peas, paratha, a layered dough, and sada roti, a plain unstuffed dough.
Frequently asked questions about roti
Is roti only made with chickpeas?
No. The traditional filling varies by family and is also made with chicken, lamb or goat curry; the chickpea and potato version, called curry channa aloo, is one of the most common.
What is the difference between roti, dhalpuri and paratha?
Roti is the general name for the flatbread; dhalpuri refers to a dough stuffed with seasoned split peas, while paratha, or “buss up shut”, is a layered dough worked after cooking. The recipe below offers a plain dough, to be filled with curry.
Where to find the ingredients for roti in France?
NKOSI sells the curry powder, cumin, garam masala and garlic paste used in this recipe and ships them from the Paris area within 24 to 72 working hours, to mainland France (2 to 3 working days) and to ten European countries. The minimum order is 39 €: in France, delivery to a pickup point is then free, and home delivery is free from 69 €.
