Puris are most commonly served as breakfast or snacks. It is also served at special or ceremonial functions as part of ceremonial rituals along with othervegetarian food offered[citation needed] in Hindu prayer asprasadam. When hosting guests it is common in some households to serve puri in place ofroti, as a small gesture of formality.[citation needed] Puri is often eaten in place of roti[citation needed] on special holidays.
The wordpuri orpoori, entered English from Hindi (पूरी). It originates from theSanskrit wordपूर (purah), meaning 'cake'[1] or a Sanskrit word meaning 'blown up'.[2] The Sanskrit wordpurika described a friedgram flour food more similar to modernpapri than puri.[3] Terminology varies; food writerMadhur Jaffrey wrote that the bread that she calledpoori may also be calledbevdi or—in theGali Paranthe Wali neighbourhood of Delhi—paratha.[4]
Puris areflatbreads prepared with wheat flour[5] along with either oil orghee, enough water to form a stiffdough,[6] and a small amount of salt.[7] The proportions are approximately 48% water, 2%–8% oil, and 0.5%–1.5% salt.[8] The flour is commonlyatta;maida is used in some regions, though its use is often viewed as inferior.[9] Afterkneading[6] and resting, the dough is shaped into balls, about 2 to 3 cm across, typically cut from a cylinder.[8] These are rolled out in circles, about 10 to 17 cm across and 1 to 3 mm thick.[5] This may also be done using a chapati press or using adough sheeting machine that may produce thousands of puris per hour.[10] The oil content facilitates the rolling of the dough, preventing stickiness.[8]
The circles of dough aredeep fried in ghee or vegetable oil in akarahi,[5][6] a type of pot whose shape uses less oil and avoids spillage.[11] Common frying oils includerice bran oil[12] andsoybean oil.[13] The dough is fried for about 30–40 seconds at about 200–220 °C (390–430 °F)[14] or for 60–180 seconds at 180–190 °C (360–370 °F). The cooking time depends on volume, thickness, and the amount of moisture and oil.[8] While deep frying, puris puff up because moisture in the dough changes into steam, expanding to ten times the initial volume.[15] As steam forms, a puri floats to the top of the oil, causing it to cook on one side at a time. This requires it to be flipped,[16] and it is often pushed down to be coated in oil.[17] The steam pushes thecrust away from thecrumb and results in partialstarch gelatinisation between the layers,[18] which is high due to the high temperature.[19] Puri has a much denser crumb thanyeast breads.[18]
Puri is cooked untilbrowned, and the oil is drained.[20] It is served hot.[21] The texture is soft[5] due to the oil.[8]Madhur Jaffrey writes, "it takes years of practice to make really fine, soft pooris. It is said inBenares that if twenty five pooris were stacked on a plate and a coin dropped on the lot, the sound of the coin hitting the plate should be heard with clarity."[6] If stored at room temperature, puri lasts a few days but is less soft.[22]
Puri is categorised as a single-layer,unleavened flatbread.[23] It resembleschapati in its ingredients and shape,[24] but is instead fried and puffy,[6] whereas chapati andphulka are toasted over a flame.[14] A bread similar to puri, popular inBengali cuisine, is luchi, which is made using white flour and deep fried.[25] Another similar bread isbhatura, which is made with yeast and yogurt in the dough, while puri is made from unleavened dough.[26]Kachori, commonly described as a stuffed puri,[27] typically uses a filling of pulses and does not inflate as much as puri.[20] In thecuisine of Delhi,nagori is a sweet puri made of wheat and semolina.[28]
Puri may be a breakfast, a light meal, or a snack.[29] Like otherIndian breads, puri is usually eaten with other foods, though it may be eaten on its own.[30] It may be eaten with sweet or savoury foods.[31] The most common accompaniments are curries of chickpeas or potatoes.[32] Puri served with potato curry comprises the North Indian breakfastpuri-bhaji.[33] APunjabi breakfast may pair puri with both potato and chickpea curries.[34] Another potato curry served with puri is theGujarati andParsi dishpapeta nu saakh.[33] The chickpea currychana masala, a common street food, is served with puri.[35] Other savory accompaniments includepickle or fried vegetables.[8] The sweetjalebi is often eaten alongside puri for breakfast, served withhalwa in North India.[36] Other sweets that are commonly served with puri include the East Indianpua[37] and the Western Indianshrikhand,[38]doodhpak,[39] andaamras.[40] TheTamil sweetpal payasam consists of puri dipped inkheer.[41]
A typical Bangladeshi puri, which is made of 50 grams of atta and 5 grams of oil, contains 219calories.[44] Due to being deep fried, puri contains more fat than other South Asian flatbreads,[45] which makes it high in calories.[5] The fat content is between 21% and 24%,[46] or sometimes up to 30%,[47] including about 7.6% oftrans fats,[48] while the moisture content is about 20%–23%.[22] Puri has a protein content of about 12% and a starch content of about 40%,[49] including a high level of insolubledietary fibre.[50] One puri contains about 300 milligrams of sodium.[51]
Compared to chapati, puri is low in minerals, though this may be increased using fortifications such asamaranth.[45] Though the flour used in puri contains vitamins, the cooking process results in a loss of 50% offolate and 40% of other vitamins, includingriboflavin andniacin.[52] Loss of water as steam results in significant loss ofvitamin B12 as well as fast degradation ofvitamin D3.[53]
Puris may vary in size, method, and oil uptake.[54] Oil uptake is high in puris,[55] and it is higher in puris with lower water content.[56] As puri floats to the top of the frying oil, it absorbs less oil than foods that are fully immersed while frying (as with adeep fryer).[16] Puri is often cooked at a temperature above thesmoke point of the oil, resulting in the formation of contaminants such as4-Hydroxynonenal andacrolein. It is also common for the oil to be reused, causing buildup of such contaminants and further lowering the smoke point.[17] The loss of water content is higher in white-flour puris than wheat-flour puris, the latter containing more fibre.[55] Finer grains and more damaged starch are also correlated with higher water content.[57]
The colour, flavour, and scent of puri are a result of theMaillard reaction during cooking.[58] Compared to chapati, puri undergoes a faster Maillard reaction and contains a higher level ofacrylamide.[57] According to Mehrajfatema Z. Mulla et al., the Maillard reaction does not fully account for the level of acrylamides, which may partly result fromlipid oxidation.[59] Theflour milling method influences this process as higher levels of acrylamide are correlated with higher levels ofreducing sugar, more damaged starch, and finer grains.[60]
Qualities desired by consumers of puri include moist texture, pliability, tearability, height, and yellow colour.[61] According to Veeranna Hitlamani and Aashitosh Ashok Inamdar, flour milled using achakki produces the optimal qualities.[62] Multiple types of flour may be combined to result in lower-fat puri;[22] a study by S. R. Shurpalekar and V. K. Shukla found that composite flours, particularly using gram flour, results in acceptable puris.[9] The addition of ahydrocolloid may increase moisture retention in puri dough; study by M. L. Sudha and G. Venkateshwara Rao found thathydroxypropyl methylcellulose results in increased oil uptake and storage stability as well as improved textural qualities.[63] A study by K. R. Parimala and M. L. Sudha found that addingguar gum increased water retention and decreased oil uptake.[64] According to studies by Sukumar Debnath, the type of oil used for frying and the number of times it is reused do not significantly change sensory qualities.[65]
According to chefManjit Gill, puri has existed since theVedic period.[16] HistorianK. T. Achaya notes the existence ofcave paintings depicting the preparation of round dough, identified as puri or chapati.[2] In ancient Buddhist India, a food calledgulalalāvaniya was recorded, which Achaya describes as a small, round puri that may have had both sweet and salty varieties.[66] A recipe for puri is in the fifteenth-century cookbookNi’matnama.[67]
Hindus in theMughal Empire consumed puri and bhatura with vegetables such as spinach, but these breads were not adopted by the Muslim population.[68] The sixteenth-century textPadmavat lists puri as one of the foods served bythe titular queen at an elaborate dinner.[69] The cookbookKhulasat-i Makulat u Mashrubat, written during the reign ofAurangzeb, includes a recipe for puri.[70]
In 19th-centuryBritish India, North Indian snack foods such as puri were eaten astiffin snacks as part of an early form ofIndian fast food.[71] Puri and other flour-based foods became part of the cuisine of theMalabar Coast in the first half of the 20th century, when the region faced a famine and introduced wheat imports from the United States.[72]
Puri is from the northern part of theSouth Asia.[24] It is consumed in countries such as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh,[5] as well as inMaritime Southeast Asia.[8] It is the second-most consumed flatbread in South Asia, behind chapati,[9] and is astaple food in much of the region.[58] Like chapati andparatha, it is often homemade.[73] It is sometimes packed to eat while travelling.[8]
According to the 2005 Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 28.5% of the country's households consume puri.[74] It is a popular snack fromstreet food vendors in the country.[75] In the South Indian region ofCoastal Andhra, puri, served with potato curry or chutney, is eaten as breakfast, but is less common than South Indianidli ordosa.[76] In the Indian state ofHimachal Pradesh, puri may be served alongside rice as part of adham feast.[77] Puri is known inBurmese cuisine as a food served attea shops.[78] It is also commonly eaten by theIndian-Ugandan community ofKampala.[79]
Puri is a common feature ofHindu festivals.[80] In North India andWest India, puri is served with sweets duringDiwali.[81] InOdisha, a large puri is made duringBali Yatra which is calledthunka puri.[82] As some Hindu observances involve abstaining from typical grains, adherents of these fasts may make puri usingamaranth grain.[83] Additionally, members of theBene Israel community of Jews in India eat puri onPurim.[84]
In North Indian Hindu culture, puri is traditionally classified aspukka, a type of food that is made with ghee, which is associated with purity, and is served when hosting guests or during festivals.[85] Puris are commonly given asprasada offered to Hindu deities in North India.[86] Sweet puris are also used as prasada.[87] In the folk religion of theJad people of theHimalayas, puri is offered to certain deities who do not receiveanimal sacrifices, including Rengali.[88] Puri is also eaten at weddings across India.[89] It is eaten with halwa at Sikh funerals.[90]
The type of flour used in puri may vary.[6] In regions where wheat is not common, wheat flour is mixed with localmaize flour,jowar, orgram flour.[9] Puri may also be made ofmillet flour.[91] In some recipes,purées ofspinach,tomatoes,carrots, or legumes are added to the dough.[92]Kadak puri is made with a mixture of whole wheat flour and gram flour, as well asturmeric andchili powder.[6] In thecuisine of Chhattisgarh, a type of puri calledchausela is made ofrice flour, and puris may also be made of a dough with wheat flour, rice flour, and leaf vegetables.[93] InKerala cuisine, rice flour and coconut are used to make a type of puri callednai-patthiri, eaten for breakfast.[94] InMadhya Pradeshi cuisine,thedula is a puri made of wheat, gram, and spices.[95] In the cuisine of theMalabar Muslims, a puri callednei pathiri, served on special occasions, has a dough of ground rice, coconut, andanise.[96] In some rural parts of North India, sweet puris are made of a dough with wheat flour andthe flowers of the mahura trees.[97]
Instuffed puri variants, the dough is rolled out, folded over a filling of vegetables and spices, then rolled out again.[6] Puri stuffed with potatoes, oraloo puri, is a typical breakfast in India.[80] Masala puri is stuffed with spices and vegetables such as potatoes.Puran puri has a sweet stuffing withlentils,cardamom, andsaffron.[6] Puris inBihari cuisine are stuffed withsattu, a chickpea product.[98] InSouth Indian cuisine, puris may be stuffed withmashed potatoes.[99] Another variant, largely popular in North India, is calledbedmi orbedai puri. It is prepared using stuffing ofurad dal ormoong dal paste.[100][101]
Many types ofchaat that are served as street food consist of puri mixed with other ingredients.[102][103] The puris used forpanipuri are a few centimetres across and very round,[22][103] and they have a hard texture due to using less water.[22] They are sometimes made crisper by the use of semolina in the dough.[103] They have a filling that may include chutney, potatoes, and chickpeas;[102] different ingredients are used for regional variants such as golgappa and phuchka.[103]Sev puri is another version offered as chaat, similarly consisting of a small puri with a filling. Flat puris—papris—are used in other chaats such asbhelpuri andpapri chaat. In papri chaat, flat puris are topped with other ingredients.[103] In bhelpuri, they are combined with onions,puffed rice, and friedlentils. Bhelpuri is one of the most popular snacks served bystreet vendors in Mumbai.[6][102]
Gujhia is a sweet puri stuffed with milk, wheat, coconut, and nuts, and folded into a crescent.[6] Puri dough is also used for a Gujarati cookie calledghari, made withkhoa and nuts.[104]
Chen, Alice; Gilbert, Penelope; Khokhar, Santosh (1 April 2009). "Estimating the nutrient composition of South Asian foods using a recipe calculation method".Food Chemistry.113 (3):825–831.doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.05.063.
Daugirdas, John T. (January 2013). "Potential Importance of Low-Sodium Bread and Breakfast Cereal to a Reduced Sodium Diet".Journal of Renal Nutrition.23 (1):1–3.doi:10.1053/j.jrn.2012.03.002.
Debnath, Sukumar; Raghavarao, K.S.M.S.; Lokesh, Belur R. (August 2011). "Hydrodynamic, thermo-analytical and molecular structural investigations of enzyme interesterified oil and its thermo-oxidative stability by thermogravimetric analysis".Journal of Food Engineering.105 (4):671–679.doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.03.010.
Debnath, Sukumar; Rastogi, Navin K.; Gopala Krishna, A.G.; Lokesh, B.R. (April 2012). "Effect of frying cycles on physical, chemical and heat transfer quality of rice bran oil during deep-fat frying of poori: An Indian traditional fried food".Food and Bioproducts Processing.90 (2):249–256.doi:10.1016/j.fbp.2011.05.001.
Hitlamani, Veeranna; Ashok Inamdar, Aashitosh (30 October 2025). "Effect of milling methods on acrylamide levels in chapatti and poori".Food Chemistry.490 145195.doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145195.
Mulla, Mehrajfatema Z.; Bharadwaj, Vikas R.; Annapure, Uday S.; Singhal, Rekha S. (1 June 2010). "Effect of damaged starch on acrylamide formation in whole wheat flour based Indian traditional staples, chapattis and pooris".Food Chemistry.120 (3):805–809.doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.11.016.
Singhal, R. S.; Kulkarni, P. R. (April 1988). "Amaranths—an underutilized resource".International Journal of Food Science & Technology.23 (2):125–139.doi:10.1111/j.1365-2621.1988.tb00559.x.ISSN0950-5423.
Shaper, A. G.; Jones, K. W. (1 October 2012) [1959]. "Serum-cholesterol, diet, and coronary heart-disease in Africans and Asians in Uganda".International Journal of Epidemiology.41 (5):1221–1225.doi:10.1093/ije/dys137.ISSN0300-5771.
Sharavathy, M. K.; Urooj, Asna; Puttaraj, Shashikala (November 2001). "Nutritionally important starch fractions in cereal based Indian food preparations".Food Chemistry.75 (2):241–247.doi:10.1016/S0308-8146(01)00120-0.
Tharanathan, M.; Tharanathan, R.N. (July 2001). "Resistant Starch in Wheat-based Products: Isolation and Characterisation".Journal of Cereal Science.34 (1):73–84.doi:10.1006/jcrs.2000.0383.
.jpg)
%2c_fried_dough_food_at_Wikipedia%2527s_16th_Birthday_celebration_in_Chittagong_(01).jpg)
_with_Maida_Poori_(_Deep_Fried_Puffy_Bread).jpg)
