any of various unleavened, usually whole wheat flatbreads common in South and Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
(in the Caribbean) flatbread wrapped around a filling of usually curried meat, fish, shellfish, or vegetables.
First recorded in 1830–40; from Hindi, Urdu roṭī “bread,” from Prakrit roṭṭa “rice flour”
A roti is a South Asian flatbread made with whole wheat flour. The next time you order your favorite dishes from an Indian restaurant, get some roti too! In India, a roti is also known as a chapati. These tasty round breads are cooked on a flat grill or in a Tandoor oven, and they're often used to scoop up curries and vegetable dishes. Many other cuisines have a variation on the basic roti. In many Caribbean countries, the word can also refer to a popular sandwich made by wrapping a roti around a savory filling. Roti comes from the Sanskrit word roṭikā, or "bread."
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Dinner at Kabawa in New York’s East Village begins with “buss-up shut,” a flaky Trinidadian flatbread derived from Indian paratha roti.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026
At Laut, chef Yup serves classic dishes like nasi lemak, rendang beef, asam laksa and roti canai.
From Salon • Nov. 15, 2025
The men are getting regular food deliveries - daal, roti, vegetables and fresh fruit - through a small pipe, and officials say the group is in good health.
From BBC • Nov. 26, 2023
This kind of preparation makes them perfect to eat over basmati rice and roti, the gravy poured over the former or sopped up with the latter.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023
Dadi quietly woke us and we had yogurt and day-old roti without talking.
From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
