The different ways of eating a roti

The different ways of eating a roti
  1. The good old fashioned way 

This is the most common style of eating a roti where a piece of roti is torn off. We then take that tiny piece to gather a chunk of vegetable gravy.

  1. With Western cutlery 

Believe it or not, people actually eat roti with a knife and fork to avoid getting their hands messy. In this style of eating, the roti is generally stuffed with vegetables so it becomes easier to cut into them. 

  1. Pita bread

This is the thicker form of roti that is prevalent in the Northern regions of India. Since they are hard and flexible, they are apt for wraps like in the case of burritos. 

  1. Wrap up 

This style of roti is not only available in India but in other parts of the world like Jamaica, Guyana, Africa and the Caribbean. This roti is very much like a tortilla where a wide variety of vegetables and even meat products are cooked with spices and condiments and used as a stuffing. This makes for a wholesome and a non-fussy meal. You can use any vegetable of your preference. There are no hard and fast rules in wrap ups. 

Likewise, we also have quesadilla that is made up of corn flour, much like the Indian Makki di roti. 

Machines like Rotimatic produces impeccably round sized rotis. 

  1. Drop in lentil soup

This may sound bizarre to you but it is actually quite tasty! Infact in Gujarat, there is a dhal soup preparation that mandatorily involves the dipping of randomly chopped rotis. The roti is cut into pieces and then allowed to soak in the dhal so it can absorb the flavours. 

  1. Butter and sugar 

Roti can also be eaten as a dessert. Some people eat with a concoction of butter or ghee with crystallized sugar. Others eat it with jaggery and shredded coconut. I have seen people eating it with jam and though it may seem strange at first, it starts growing on you with repeated practice.  

  1. Butter and salt fry 

In this method, the roti is smeared with butter and salt. It is then fried on a tawa until it gets slightly roasted on both sides. This is one hell of a creative idea!

Roti works as a bland base for flavourful curries and gravies. India has no dearth of such recipes. We have all kinds like vegetable kurma, palak paneer and also meat based gravies like chicken tikka masala to suit the non-vegetarian palate. 

Roti is a healthy dish when made strictly with pure wheat flour and little oil or ghee. Other roti substitutes like Naan that are made up of refined flour are lower on the healthy scale. 

Rotis can be frozen or alternatively, you can buy frozen rotis from supermarkets but there is no guarantee if they are healthy due to additives. A thriving option today is Rotimatic; reviews talk about how they generate instant rotis in seconds. 


David Lockhart