Chapati

Chapati
Flatbread
Plain chapati and stuffed rolled chapatis
Alternative name(s):
Roti/Puri
Region or state:
South Asia, Central Asia, Horn of Africa, East Africa
Main ingredient(s):
Flour
Recipes at Wikibooks:
Chapati
Media at Wikimedia Commons:
Chapati

Chapati, Chapatti, Chappati or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread (also known as roti) from Nepal, India and Pakistan.^[1] It is a common staple of cuisine in South Asia as well as amongst South Asian expatriates throughout the world. Versions of the dish are also found in Central Asia and the Horn of Africa in countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, with the laobing flatbread serving as a local variation in China.

History

The word 'Chapati' means "flattened round" in Indian languages. Chapati is noted in Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document, by Mughal Emperor, Akbar’s vizier, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak.^[1]

Chapatis are one of the most common forms in which wheat, the staple of northern South Asia, is consumed. Chapati is a form of roti or rotta (bread). The words are often used interchangeably. While roti or rotta refers to any flat unleavened bread, chapati is a roti made of whole wheat flour and cooked on a tava (flat skillet).

Cooking

Roti or chapati is consumed in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Preparing chapati with a rolling pin

Chapatis are made from a firm dough made from flour (whole grain common wheat), 'Atta' in Urdu/Hindi/Punjabi/Nepali/Bengali, and water. Some people also add salt and/or oil to the dough. Small portions of the dough are rolled out into discs much like a tortilla, using a rolling pin. The rolled-out dough is thrown on the preheated dry skillet and cooked on both sides. In some regions of Nepal, western India it is only partly cooked on the skillet, and then put directly on a high flame, which makes it blow up like a balloon. The hot air cooks the chapati rapidly from the inside. In some parts of northern India (e.g. Punjab) and Pakistan, this is called a phulka (that which has been inflated).

A pilgrim girl in Mahakuta, India baking chapatis in a temple

Often, the top of a chapati is slathered with butter or ghee (clarified butter). A piece of chapati is torn off and used to pick up the meat or vegetable dish(es) that make the meal. It is folded into a sort of loose cone and used as a scoop to eat the more liquid dishes at a meal like paneer, or sena-galu.

A roadside Chapati stand in Mandalay, Myanmar

Chapati sizes (diameter and thickness) vary from region to region and kitchen to kitchen. In Gujarat, for example, the chapati is called a 'rotli' and can be as thin as tissue paper. Chapatis made in domestic kitchens are usually not larger than 6-7 inches in diameter since the 'tava' on which they are made comes in sizes that fit comfortably on a domestic stove top. Tavas were traditionally made of unglazed earthenware, but are now typically made from metal. There are also electric tavas manufactured in Nepal and India. The shape of the rolling pin also varies from region to region. Some households simply use a kitchen work top as a sort of pastry board, but homes have round flat-topped 'boards' specifically for rolling out chapatis that may be made of wood or stone.

Preparing chapati on a wooden stove

Flat unleavened breads in South Asia come in many forms; the chapati is only one of them. A rotta, made of a dough similar to that used to make chapatis and cooked in an oven, is a 'tandoori roti'. The combination of wheat flour with one or more flours (e.g. chickpea, maize, or millet) will produce a "missi roti". Rottas made with pearl millet (bajra) or maize (makka) or jowar flour usually carry the name of the flour, as in "bajra roti" or "makke ki roti" (or "bhakri" in marathi). Flat breads like chapati and roti are traditionally a food of northern South Asia. The peninsular south, the east and northeast and the Kashmir are primarily rice-eating cultures.

In southern India, there is a distinction made between a 'chapati' and its layered fried version the 'paratha'. 'Parathas' usually have a filling inside, such as spinach, cooked radish, or potato. Also now the 'tandoori roti' is to be found in the smallest towns. Many people confuse roti and chapati, but chapatis are made of whole wheat flour, whereas rotis are made of all-purpose flour.

In the Maldives chapati are traditionally eaten for breakfast along with a dish known as mas huni.^[2]

See also

• Indian bread
• Chakla
• Roti
• Paratha
• Poori
• Tortilla
• Khubz
• Blintz
• Crêpe
• Matzo
• Pancake
• Pita
• Pizza
• Yufka
• Chimta
• Naan
• Lavash

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chapati.

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Chapati

v t e Indian dishes by region North Aloo gobi Baati Baingan bartha Barfi (Kaju barfi / Kaju Katli) Bhatura Butter chicken Chana masala Chapati Chicken tikka Chole bhature Churma Dal makhani Dopiaza Haleem Kachori Kadai kadai chicken Kadhi Keema Kulcha Korma Kulfi Mattar paneer Makki di roti Mirchi Bada Naan Nihari Palak Paneer Pakora Paneer tikka Pasanda Raita Rajma Rogan josh Rumali Roti Sarson ka saag Shahi paneer Shami Kebab Tandoori chicken Paneer Tikka Masala Aloo Mutter South Appam Aviyal Baghara baingan Benne Dose Bhajji Bisi bele bath Bonda Chicken 65 Chakna Curd rice Dahi chutney Dopiaza Dosa Double ka meetha Fish molee Hyderabadi biryani Hyderabadi haleem Idiappam Idli Injipuli Kaalan Kanji Kerala porotta Koottu Kozhakkattai Lukhmi Mirchi ka salan Murukku Mysore Pak Pachadi Paniyaram Parotta Payasam Pongal Poriyal Pulihora Puttu Rasam Rice and curry Sambar Sheer korma Sevai Upma Uttapam Thalassery biryani Vada West Akuri Basundi Bhakri Bhelpuri Bombil fry Chivda Chouriço Dahi vada Dhansak Dhokla Doodhpak Kadboli Khatkhate Khichdi Kombdi vade Kuswar Misal Pav bhaji Patoleo Patra ni machhi Sabudana Khichadi Sanna Sevpuri Shrikhand Sorpotel Thalipeeth Vada pav Veg Kolhapuri Vindaloo Xacuti East Alu Potala Rasa Beguni Bel Pana Bhuna Khicuhri Chakuli Pitha Cham cham Chandrakanti Charchari Chhena Chingudi Jhola Dahi baigana Dahi Machha Jalfrezi Kati roll Luchi Machha Jhola Maachha Bihana Mathapuli Mishti Doi Ouu khatta Pakhala Pantua Pitha Rasabali Rasgulla Ras malai Sandesh Santula Miscellaneous Biryani Chaat Chutney Dal Falooda Flattened rice Gulab Jamun Halwa Indian pickle Jalebi Kheer Kofta Laddu Panipuri Papadum Paratha Puri Roti Samosa Sabzi Zarda Puri Bhaji Indian diaspora Chicken tikka masala Indian Chinese cuisine Phall Nasi kandar Pasembur Roti canai

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