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| Alternative names |
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| Region or state | Indian Subcontinent |
| Associatedcuisine | India,Nepal,Bangladesh,Pakistan,Sri Lanka,Maldives,Mauritius,Fiji,South Africa,Suriname,Trinidad and Tobago,Guyana,Myanmar,[1]Middle Eastern,Singapore,Malaysia,Thailand |
| Main ingredients | Atta,ghee/butter/cooking oil and variousstuffings |
| Variations | Parotta,aloo paratha,Mughlai paratha,paratha roll,roti canai,wrap roti, faratha |
Paratha (IPA:[pəˈɾaːʈʰaː,pəˈɾãːʈʰaː], also parantha or parontah) is aflatbread native to theIndian subcontinent,[2][3] first mentioned in early medievalSanskrit.[2] It is one of the most popular flatbreads in the Indian subcontinent.[4][5]
Paratha is an amalgamation of the wordsparat andatta, which literally means layers of cookeddough.[6] The word is derived from Sanskrit (S. पर, or परा+स्थः, or स्थितः).[7] Alternative spellings and names includeparantha,parauntha,prontha,parontay,paronthi (Punjabi),porota (inBengali),paratha (inOdia,Urdu,Hindi),palata (pronounced[pəlàtà]; in Myanmar),[1]porotha (inAssamese),forota (inChittagonian andSylheti),faravatha (in Bhojpuri),faratha (inMauritius),farata (inMaldives),prata (in Southeast Asia),paratha,buss-up shut,oil roti (in theAnglophone Caribbean) androti canai in Malaysia and Indonesia.
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Parathas are prevalent throughout the modern-day countries ofIndia,Pakistan,Nepal,Bangladesh,Maldives,Afghanistan,Myanmar,[1]Malaysia,Singapore,Thailand,Mauritius,Fiji,Guyana,Suriname,South Africa, andTrinidad and Tobago where wheat is the traditionalstaple. India's old Delhi houses the 'Parathe wali gali', a street famous for the flat breads and serving more than 80 varieties and flavors.
Recipes for various stuffed wheat puran polis (which Achaya (2003) describes as parathas) are mentioned inManasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled bySomeshvara III, aWestern Chalukya king, who ruled from present-dayKarnataka, India.[8] References to paratha have also been mentioned by Nijjar (1968), in his bookPanjāb under the Sultāns, 1000–1526 AD when he writes that parathas were common with the nobility and aristocracy in the Punjab.[9]
According to Banerji (2010), parathas are associated with North Indian cooking. The method is to stuff parathas with a variety of stuffings. However, Banerji states, the Mughals were also fond of parathas which gave rise to the Dhakai paratha, multilayered and flaky, taking its name fromDhaka inBangladesh.[10] O'Brien (2003) suggests that it is not correct to state that the paratha was popularised in Delhi after the 1947partition of India, as this item was prevalent in Delhi before then.[11]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 327 kcal (1,370 kJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
45.36 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sugars | 4.15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 9.6 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13.20 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6.36 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 33.5 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[12] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[13] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parathas are one of (if not the most) the most popularunleavened flatbreads in theIndian subcontinent, made by baking or cookingwhole-wheat (atta) dough on atava, and finishing off withshallow-frying.[14] Plain parathas are thicker and more substantial thanchapatis orrotis because they have been layered by coating with ghee or oil and folded repeatedly, much like the method used forpuff pastry or alaminated dough technique, and as a result have a flaky consistency. Stuffed parathas may include a wide variety of ingredients and be prepared in a variety of styles, traditionally depending on region of origin, and may not use folded dough techniques.
A number of traditional techniques are used to achieve thelayered dough for plain parathas.[14] These include covering the thinly rolled-out pastry with oil, folding back and forth like a paper fan and coiling the resulting strip into a round shape before rolling flat, baking on a tava or shallow-frying. Another method is to cut a circle of dough from the center to its circumference along its radius, oiling the dough and starting at the cut edge rolling so as to form a cone which is then squashed into a disc shape and rolled out.[citation needed]
Common fillings include mashed spiced potatoes (aloo paratha),dal, cauliflower (gobi paratha), minced lamb (keema paratha), and minced chicken. Less common stuffing ingredients include mixed vegetables, green beans, carrots, other meats,leaf vegetables,radishes, andpaneer. A Rajasthani mung bean paratha uses both the layering technique together with mung dal mixed into the dough. Some stuffed parathas are not layered, lacking in the flakiness of plain parathas, and instead resemble a filled pie squashed flat and shallow-fried, using two discs of dough sealed around the edges. Alternatively, they can be made by using a single disc of dough to encase a ball of filling and sealed with a series of pleats pinched into the dough around the top; they are then gently flattened with the palm against the working surface before being rolled into a circle.[citation needed]
The paratha is an important part of a traditional breakfast from the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, it is made usingghee but oil is also used. Some people may even bake it in the oven for health reasons. Usually, the paratha is eaten with dollops of white butter on top of it. Common side dishes are curd, fried egg, omelette, mutton kheema (ground mutton cooked with vegetables and spices),nihari, jeera aloo (potatoes lightly fried with cumin seeds), daal, andraita as part of a breakfast meal. It may be stuffed with potatoes,paneer,onions,qeema orchili peppers.[citation needed]
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some believe that the poli of Maharashtra and Gujarat is a close cousin.
Paratha or Parantha is a category of unleavened Indian bread made with whole wheat flour, a dish wish of universal appeal.
parāṭhā [S. पर, or परा+स्थः, or स्थितः], s.m. A cake made with butter or ghī, and of several layers, like pie-crust.
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