Roti

Roti is a soft, layered flatbread of wheat flour, water, salt and ghee, pan-fried and often wrapped around curried fillings in Suriname. It is a Hindustani-style bread, and it is part of everyday Surinamese cooking in the Hindustani community. The same bread is also made in Guyana and Trinidad, where it is best known as a wrap for curry.

What it really is

Flour, water, salt and ghee are kneaded into a soft dough and rested. The dough is rolled out, brushed with ghee, folded or layered, and pan-fried on a hot griddle until it browns in spots. The layers make the bread flaky and easy to tear. A dhalpuri roti is a separate item: ground split peas are sealed inside the dough before frying. Some kitchens use oil instead of ghee, which changes the milk and vegetarian details.

How it's served

• Hot from the griddle, soft and folded or rolled so the filling stays inside.
• Torn and eaten by hand, with the curry spooned on or wrapped in.
• Curried chicken, potato, chickpea or vegetables are common fillings, with chutney or pickles on the side where the kitchen offers them.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the flour as wheat, and name the filling and its protein, such as chicken, goat or vegetables.
• Flag wheat and milk, since ghee is a butter fat. Flag fish, prawns or other seafood if a curry uses them.
• Say whether the bread is cooked in ghee or oil, because that decides whether it can be sold as vegetarian or vegan.
• List dhalpuri as its own item, with the split-pea filling stated, and say whether plain roti is also available.