Paratha (, also parantha/parontah) is a flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent,
Etymology and alternative names
Paratha is an amalgamation of the words
parat and
Atta flour, which literally means layers of cooked
dough.
The word is derived from Sanskrit (S. पर, or परा+स्थः, or स्थितः).
Alternative spellings and names include
parantha,
parauntha,
prontha,
parontay,
paronthi (
Punjabi language),
porota (in
Bengali language),
paratha (in
Odia language,
Urdu,
Hindi),
palata (; in Myanmar),
(in Assamese),
forota (in Chittagonian and
Sylheti language),
faravatha (in Bhojpuri),
farata (in
Mauritius and the
Maldives),
prata (in Southeast Asia),
paratha,
buss-up shut,
oil roti (in the Anglophone Caribbean) and
roti canai in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Prevalence
Parathas are prevalent throughout the modern-day countries of
India,
Pakistan,
Nepal,
Bangladesh,
Maldives,
Afghanistan,
Myanmar,
,
Singapore,
Thailand,
Mauritius,
Fiji,
Guyana,
Suriname,
South Africa, and Trinidad and Tobago where wheat is the traditional
Staple food. India's old Delhi houses the 'Parathe wali gali', a street famous for the flat breads and serving more than 80 varieties and flavors.
History
Recipes for various stuffed wheat puran polis (which Achaya (2003) describes as parathas) are mentioned in
Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by
Someshvara III, a
Western Chalukya king, who ruled from present-day Karnataka, India.
References to paratha have also been mentioned by Nijjar (1968), in his book
Panjāb under the Sultāns, 1000–1526 AD when he writes that parathas were common with the nobility and aristocracy in the Punjab.
[Nijjer, Bakhshish Singh (1968). Panjāb under the sultāns, 1000–1526 A.D.. Sterling Publishers.]
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 from Dhaka in Bangladesh.[Banerji, Chitrita (2010). Eating India: Exploring the Food and Culture of the Land of Spices. Bloomsbury.] O'Brien (2003) suggests that it is not correct to state that the paratha was popularised in Delhi after the 1947 partition of India, as this item was prevalent in Delhi before then.[O'Brien, Charmaine (2003). Flavours Of Delhi: A Food Lover's Guide. Penguin.]
Plain and stuffed varieties
Parathas are one of (if not the most) the most popular
leavening agent flatbreads in the Indian subcontinent, made by baking or cooking
Whole grain (
atta flour) dough on a
tava, and finishing off with
pan frying.
Plain parathas are thicker and more substantial than
/
because they have been layered by coating with ghee or oil and folded repeatedly, much like the method used for
puff pastry or a
laminated 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 the laminated dough for plain parathas.
Common fillings include mashed spiced potatoes (aloo paratha), dal, cauliflower (gobi paratha), minced lamb (Keema matar paratha), and minced chicken. Less common stuffing ingredients include mixed vegetables, green beans, carrots, other meats, , , and paneer. 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.
Serving
The paratha is an important part of a traditional breakfast from the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, it is made using
ghee 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, and
raita as part of a breakfast meal. It may be stuffed with potatoes,
paneer,
,
qeema or
.
Types
-
Aloo paratha (stuffed with spicy boiled potato and onions mix).
-
Chili parotha or mirchi paratha (incorporating small, spicy shredded pieces)
-
Dulhan paratha (originating from Hyderabad, Sindh), named for its elaborate presentation, which is reminiscent of the ornate appearance of a bride ('dulhan' in Urdu); this dish is known for its combination of flavorful ingredients.
-
Gobi paratha (stuffed with cauliflower)
-
Paneer paratha (stuffed with farmer cheese)
-
Keema paratha (stuffed with keema, spiced ground meat usually made up of chicken or lamb)
-
Pyaz paratha (stuffed with flavoured onions)
-
Cheese paratha (stuffed with cheese)
-
Mughlai paratha (a deep-fried stuffed paratha filled with egg and minced meat, from Bangladesh and West Bengal of India)
-
Petai paratha (thin, flaky and hand-smashed paratha from West Bengal, India)
-
Dhakai paratha (flaky layered paratha from Bangladesh and West Bengal of India)
-
Murthal paratha, deep-fried; of Haryana and especially at Murthal on Grand Trunk Road are famous for this
-
Roti prata (Singapore)
-
Roti canai (Malaysia and Indonesia)
-
Buss-up-shut (Trinidad; the name is Trinidadian Creole for "busted-up shirt", for the resemblance of the shreddy bread to ragged old clothes)
File:Aloo Paratha with Butter from India.jpg|Punjabi cuisine Aloo paratha served with butter, from India
File:Mughlai Kheema Paratha.JPG|Mughlai paratha from Kolkata, India.
File:Dhakai Paratha with Bengal Gram.JPG|Dhakai paratha from West Bengal, India
File:Alooparatha.jpg|Aloo paratha from northern India
File:Teaparatha.jpg|Paratha served with tea in a Pakistani hotel
File:Paranthamumbai.jpg|Stuffed Bengali cuisine-style paratha served in a restaurant in Mumbai, India
File:Paratharoti.jpg|Trinidadian-style roti paratha (buss-up shut)
File:Palatha, Myanmar.jpg|In Burmese cuisine, paratha is commonly eaten as a dessert, sprinkled with sugar.
File:Smash Paratha - Howrah 2014-04-14 0217.JPG|Petai paratha (“smashed paratha”), a West Bengal variant served with light vegetable curry
File:Lachha-paratha.jpg|Lachha paratha
See also
