Chapati - WikiHQ

Chapati (alternatively spelled chapathi or chapatti; IAST: ) is an unleavened flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. Chapatis are made of whole-wheat flour known as atta, mixed into dough with water, and cooked on an iron griddle known as a tava, puffing up over direct heat. Another version, in East African cuisine, is instead fried. Chapati is a form of roti, and the two are sometimes conflated. It is a widely eaten in South Asia—even in areas where rice is the typical staple—and in most East African countries, as well as by the South Asian diaspora.

Evidence of foods like chapati dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization, and chapati is recorded in Sanskrit and Mughal-era texts. During the British era, chapatis were consumed by Anglo-Indians as well as native Indians in other parts of the empire. They were introduced to East Africa by trade and immigration, including by Indian indentured railway workers. Around the 21st century, Indian consumers have supplanted chapati with Western-style bread.

Chapati is eaten as the central component of a meal, with torn pieces used to pick up accompanying dishes such as dal or stew. Chapati may also be used for wraps, such as the Ugandan street foods rolex and kikomando. The main ingredient of chapati, wheat flour, results in its nutrition, flavour, and soft texture. Versions vary in size and may use various kinds of flour, including maize, amaranth, rice, or millet. Chapati is served hot, and it stales quickly. It is often homemade, while individually packed versions are sold as convenience food. Similar Indian breads include paratha and puri.

Etymology

The word chapati is derived from the Sanskrit word (), a derivative of Sanskrit (, "flat"). This describes the way dough is shaped by slapping it between the hands. It is also spelled chapatti or chapathi. In British India, the spellings chewpatty and chowpatty were used. The word chapati has also been loaned into Swahili and Mauritian Creole.

Chapati is associated with roti, and the term roti is used for chapati, including in Bengal. Chapati may be considered a type of roti, or the two may be considered distinct breads; In Kenya, it is cooked on a charcoal stove, using oil, butter, or lard. A type of skillet known as is designed for chapati, enabling flipping by hand. Chapati was not common during the Vedic period. Thus, it was never included in the Hindu classification system of kaccha and pukka food; as a food that is not boiled, it would have been classified as a pukka food to be eaten outside of the household, but it instead became an everyday food.

The word chapati was used in Sanskrit texts They were introduced to East Africa by immigrants from the subcontinent. In Kenya, it was likely introduced amid widespread migration from India in the late 19th and early 20th century. Indian labourers on British Empire–run railways introduced their cuisine, including chapati, to both Kenya and Uganda. Chapati was also an important food at prisons in the British protectorate of Zanzibar, with a 1930 letter listing prisoners' complaints about how it was prepared.

During the Green Revolution, Mexican wheat varieties developed by Norman Borlaug were poorly received in India due to their red colour, leading him to introduce amber-coloured varieties developed in Pakistan. An associate of Borlaug, M. S. Swaminathan, later developed varieties ideal for chapati. Beginning in the 1990s, Indians have increasingly consumed wheat as Western-style bread instead of chapati. In 21st-century Kenya, chapati has become a more common snack than french fries and a more common breakfast than bread, having previously been reserved for special occasions, according to Oyunga Pala of The Elephant. Its popularity in the country has increased while the historical staple ugali has declined, as evidenced by Agriculture and Food Authority data showing an increase in wheat consumption in 2024.

Consumption

thumb|alt=A farmer harvesting wheat|Most wheat produced in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh goes toward chapati.

Chapatis are a staple food in the Indian subcontinent. It is the most consumed flatbread in the region, and, according to Elsevier's Encyclopedia of Food Grains, in the world. It is frequently consumed in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tibet, and Afghanistan, including in places where rice is the predominant staple. Nearly 90% of wheat produced in Pakistan, 80–85% produced in India, and most produced in Bangladesh goes toward chapati.

Chapati is commonly homemade in India and among all cultures in Kenya. In South Asian villages, chapati is more commonly homemade than purchased. Making chapati is associated with women's domestic gender roles in India. Chapati is typically eaten while fresh, though leftover stale chapatis are consumed by many for breakfast. Stale chapatis may also used as cattle feed in India. Large-scale settings of chapati production include restaurants and canteens. Ready-to-eat chapati is produced as a convenience food, manufactured mechanically and distributed in individual packs, while many grocery stores specialising in Indian food also sell fresh chapati.

Chapati is an inexpensive energy source in India. Many Indians eat it twice a day. A 2018 survey of rural parts of four Indian states found that three-quarters of households make chapati. Chapati is fed to babies in parts of India such as Rajasthan; dry chapatis may be mashed to be baby food. The Catholic Church in India uses chapati as sacramental bread for the Communion ritual, established as a localisation by the All India Liturgical Meeting of 1969.

By region

Chapati is a staple in North Indian, Western Indian, and Central Indian cuisine, eaten with dal. Regions where chapati is a staple include the Western Himalayas; for example, the people of the Hunza Valley consider it a requirement for a meal. The Cuisine of Uttarakhand, in the Central Himalayas, typically features rice for lunch and chapati for dinner. It is usually made of wheat in summer and finger millet in winter, with finger millet chapati seen as a remedy for digestion and to provide warmth. In the Sikkim–Darjeeling region of the Eastern Himalayas, where rice is the main staple, chapati is common in urban areas. In the South Indian region of Coastal Andhra, chapati is eaten as breakfast, but is less common than South Indian idli or dosa. Chapati is common in the South Indian city of Hyderabad, but less so in surrounding rural areas, due to Mughal influence on the city.

thumb|alt=A street food vendor folds a chapati over an omelette atop a stove.|Chapati dishes such as [[rolex (food)|rolex are common street foods in Uganda.]]

Chapati is eaten in most East African countries. It is one of the most common main courses in Kenyan urban areas, and Kenyan street vendors serve chapati wraps. In Uganda, many street stalls sell chapati and its derived dishes, rolex and kikomando; the two are often sold by the same vendors. Chapati is a common breakfast in Kampala. Chapati is also eaten in all parts of Tanzania. In Dar es Salaam, it is a snack or side dish, and, in Zanzibar, it is a popular breakfast among young, working-class people.

Chapati is consumed by the South Asian diaspora, including in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East, as well as the Kenyan diaspora.

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