Manda roti (also called rumali roti) is a traditional Indian and

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

. They can be made with cardamom, ghee, sugar and milk. This roti is extremely thin and limp, and served folded like a

handkerchief A handkerchief (; also called a hankie or, historically, a handkercher or a ) is a form of a kerchief or bandanna, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric which can be carried in the pocket or handbag for personal hygiene purposes such as w ...

. Manda roti is usually made with a combination of whole-wheat

atta flour Atta is a type of wheat flour, originally from the Indian subcontinent, used to make flatbreads. It is the most widespread flour in the Indian subcontinent. Properties Whole common wheat ('' Triticum aestivum'') is generally used to make atta; ...

and white wheaten maida flour and cooked on the convex side of a kadahi. It is also known as veechu roti in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

or mandige in other parts of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

Etymology and history

The word ''manda roti'' is a compound of two words: ''manda'' and ''roti''. The word ''manda'' is derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word ''maṇḍaka'' and ''roti'' from the Sanskrit word ''roṭikā. Maṇḍaka'' is a wheat-based flatbread mentioned in Sanskrit literature from religious scriptures like ''Skanda purāṇa'' to ''Pākakalā'' texts like ''Bhojanakutūhala''. As per ''Skanda purāṇa'', ''maṇḍaka'' are thin circular symmetrical flat cakes prepared from wheat flour. In ''Bhojanakutūhala,'' the detailed recipe of ''maṇḍaka'' describes that they are cooked on an upturned pot. In ''Madanapala Nighantu,'' several varieties of mandakas are mentioned which are prepared by adding vikola, karkaṭa, drākṣā and kantakäri, among other ingredients. Rumali roti.jpg, A chef preparing manda roti An aestheticRumani Rotti.jpg, Manda roti

References

{{Flatbreads Bihari cuisine Flatbreads Hyderabadi cuisine Indian breads Indian cuisine Muhajir cuisine Mughlai cuisine North Indian cuisine Pakistani breads Punjabi cuisine Roti South Indian cuisine Telangana cuisine