Roll paratha or paratha roll (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: رول پراٹھا) is a popular Pakistani street food that is similar to

shawarma Shawarma (; ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with l ...

. Roll Paratha is a

paratha Paratha (, also parantha/parontah) is a flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent, with earliest reference mentioned in early medieval Sanskrit, India. It is one of the most popular flatbreads in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East. ...

, a crispy oily flatbread, rolled around meat pieces or

kebab Kebab ( , ), kebap, kabob (alternative North American spelling), kebob, or kabab (Kashmiri spelling) is a variety of roasted meat dishes that originated in the Middle East. Kebabs consist of cut up ground meat, sometimes with vegetables an ...

, vegetables, and sauces. While any choice of meat may be used the most popular choice of meat is chicken. The dish originated in and is a specialty of

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Origins

The dish can be traced back to the 1970s in the city of Karachi, Pakistan when Hafiz Habib ur Rehman first created it out of necessity while serving a customer at Silver Spoon Snack, his Karachi restaurant. Normally he would serve a paratha and a kebab together on a plate with traditional sauce. However one day a customer in a hurry asked him to pack the paratha and kebab. Rehman rolled the kebab inside the paratha, wrapped it in a wax paper, and handed it over to the customer. Another customer witnessing it asked for the same parcel, and Rehman made it a regular offering. He developed a following for the dish by handing them out free with other orders and to passersby.

Cultural importance

For many Pakistanis a paratha roll has emotional connotations. In the Pakistani tradition parathas have been a staple item for breakfast. Pakistan is a predominantly traditional family system where women cook for the family, and paratha roll is an easy dish both to make and to serve and is commonly served in homes. Many fans of paratha roll connect the experience with the memory of their mothers' cooking at home. According to the Institute of Business Administration's Sahar Nadeem Hamid, paratha rolls are a type of fusion food.

Availability

The dish is available across Pakistan from restaurants and street vendors. It is a common street food in Karachi. The dish is also available in India, Bangladesh and parts of the USA.

Commercial version

In 2019, Kentucky Fried Chicken introduced Zingeratha, their version of the original dish. Eventually, KFC removed Zingeratha from their menu after it failed to gain a following.

Variations

While beef, mutton, and lamb meat can be used, chicken is the most popular. The dish usually contains salad vegetables and a sauce such as

chutney A chutney () is a spread typically associated with cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt, or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion ...

Similar dishes

Kati roll A kati roll (sometimes spelt kathi roll; ) is a street-food dish originating from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. In its original form, it is a skewer-roasted kebab wrapped in a paratha bread, although over the years many variants have evolved a ...

, a similar dish from Kolkata *

Shawarma Shawarma (; ) is a Middle Eastern dish that originated in the Levant during the Ottoman Empire, consisting of meat that is cut into thin slices, stacked in an inverted cone, and roasted on a slow-turning vertical spit. Traditionally made with l ...

, a similar dish from the Levant * Dürüm

References

{{Cuisine of India Pakistani cuisine Indian cuisine Sandwiches 1970s in Pakistan Bread dishes