Street View Street Food
Paratha
History
A paratha is a flatbread that originated in the Indian
subcontinent. It is still prevalent throughout India, Pakistan,
Nepal and Bangladesh, where wheat is grown and is the
traditional staple of the area. Paratha is an amalgamation
of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of
cooked dough.
Parathas are one of the most popular unleavened flat
breads in the India part of the Indian Subcontinent and
they are made by baking or cooking whole wheat dough
on a tava, and finishing off with shallow frying.
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Culture
Parathas are thicker and more substantial than
chapatis/rotis and this is either because, in the case
of a plain paratha, they have been layered by coating
with ghee or oil and folding repeatedly (much like the
method used for puff pastry or some types of Turkish
börek) using a laminated dough technique; or else
because food ingredients such as mixed vegetables have
been mixed in with the dough, such as potato and/or
cauliflower, green beans and carrots.