 Malabar Porotta | |
| Alternative names | Porotta, Barota, Malabar Porotta, Kerala Porotta, Ceylon Parotta |
|---|---|
| Type | LayeredFlatbread |
| Place of origin | Malabar Coast |
| Region or state | Kerala,Jaffna (as Ceylon Parotta) |
| Associatedcuisine | Kerala Cuisine,Sri Lankan cuisine |
| Main ingredients | Maida,ghee/oil |
| Ingredients generally used | Eggs,salt |
| Variations | Roti Canai |
Parotta orporotta (Malayalam: പൊറോട്ട),(Tamil: பரோட்டா) is a layeredSouth Asianflatbread made fromrefined flour, eggs and oil. It is commonly seen inSouth India, especially in the states ofKerala[1][2][3][4] (asMalabar Porotta;Malayalam: മലബാർ പൊറോട്ട), andTamil Nadu,[4] as well as inJaffna in Sri Lanka (as Ceylon Parotta)[2][5] Variants of the bread spread by IndianMuslim traders and byindentured labourers from theBritish Raj[6] are popular inSouth Asian,South East Asian andCaribbean countries likeMalaysia,[7]Indonesia,Singapore,Thailand,Brunei,Mauritius,Maldives,Guyana andTrinidad and Tobago under the namesroti canai,[8]roti prata,roti thitchu, farata, oil roti orbuss up shut.[6]
Porottas are often available asstreet food[9] and in restaurants, and are also served at weddings, religious festivals and feasts. In theSouth Indian state ofKerala it is commonly served in roadside foodstalls calledthattukadas[10][11][12][13] and in localtoddy shops calledkallushaaps.[14][15][16][17][18] It is prepared by kneadingmaida, eggs, oil orghee and water. The dough is rolled or tossed and stretched into thin layers and then spiralled into a tight dough ball. The ball is rolled flat again and pan-fried, and then beaten to release the flakey layers[19][20] It is often served with a meat curry, such as chicken, goat, beef, or lamb.
Archaeologist and culinary anthropologistKurush F Dalal says that the Malabar Porotta is likely to have come with Arab traders from ancient West Asia. He explains: “Kerala has always hadtrade links with West Asia, right from thepre-Islamic period. So, this must have travelled with the sailors and traders and found a place in NorthMalabar’s culinary palate.” He points out that thoughporottas are made ofrefined flour, Kerala is not a wheat producing state and so its origins clearly lie beyond the seas. Food journalist Sonal Ved stated that Persia, Central Asia and the Middle East have their own versions of layeredflatbreads.[1][2][3]
Muslim traders, and later migrant laborers from Southern India are said to have spread its popularity in South East Asia, giving rise to theRoti Canai (so named allegedly after the city ofChennai in Tamil Nadu), Roti Prata and other variants.[7][2][8]
Indentured labourers from British India also introduced the bread to theCaribbean, where it is called the "buss-up-shut roti" referring to the way the bread is beaten after cooking to free up the layers until it looks like a 'bust-up shirt', as well as toMauritius,Maldives andGuyana, where it was given the names farata and oil roti.[6][2]
The Ceylon Parotta variant is said to have originated in theTamil-populatedJaffna region ofSri Lanka, migrant workers from there who were employed at theTuticorin port in India are said to have introduced it to coastalTamil Nadu. Other variants popularized in Tamil Nadu are the smaller, circular Coin Parottas, and Kothu Parottas made of chopped up leftover Parottas mixed with spices, eggs and chillies.[4]
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