{{Short description|Street-food dish originating from muthi, India}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}} {{more citations needed|date=February 2013}} {{Infobox food | name = Kathi roll <!--| native = কাটি রোল -->| image = Kolkata Rolls.jpg | image_size = 225px | caption = Kati roll served in Kolkata, India | alternate_name = Kathi roll | national_cuisine = Bengali, Indian | country = India | region = Kolkata, West Bengal | creator = | course = | type = Roll | main_ingredient = Mutton (lamb) pieces, bread, egg (omlette) | served = | variations = Many, depending on ingredients | calories = | other = }}
A '''kati roll''' (sometimes spelt '''kathi roll'''; {{langx|bn|কাঠি রোল}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.shabdkosh.com/bn/translate?e=kathi&l=bn|title=kathi - Meaning in Bengali - kathi in Bengali - Shabdkosh {{!}} অভিধান : English Bengali Dictionary and Translation|last=Shabdkosh.com|website=www.shabdkosh.com|access-date=2016-05-01}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>) is a street-food dish originating from Kolkata, West Bengal, India.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Banerji |first1=Urvija |title=The Kati Roll Can Be Traced Back to One Kolkata Restaurant |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-kati-roll-can-be-traced-back-to-one-kolkata-restaurant |access-date=21 July 2024 |date=3 May 2016}}</ref> In its original form, it is a skewer-roasted kebab wrapped in a paratha bread, although over the years many variants have evolved all of which now go under the generic name of ''kati roll''. Today, mostly any wrap containing a filling enfolded in an Indian flatbread (roti) is called a ''kati roll''. In native Bengali, the word {{Transliteration|bn|kati}} roughly translates to 'stick', referring to how they were originally made. In Bengal though, the delicacy is simply known as ''roll''. Kati rolls normally contain coriander chutney, egg, and chicken but the types may vary.
==History== The kati roll is said to have started its life in the Nizam Restaurant in Kolkata, a popular Mughlai eatery founded in 1932 by one Raza Hassan Saheb.<ref name="theculturetrip"/><ref name="Moneycontrol"/> There are many stories about how exactly the roll got started.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sanghvi |first1=Vir |author1-link=Vir Sanghvi |title=Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: Roll redemption |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/rude-food-by-vir-sanghvi-roll-redemption/story-WLkxCkUTD0BSDcINWNAALI.html |access-date=22 October 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=12 July 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Some suggest that hurried office commuters wanted something quick and portable to eat; some mention British babus who were too fastidious to make kabab.<ref name="itinari">{{cite news |last1=Majumder |first1=Hitaishi |title=Nizam's Restaurant: the story of the Kolkata kathi roll |url=https://www.itinari.com/nizam-s-restaurant-the-story-of-the-kolkata-kathi-roll-bgaw |access-date=22 October 2022 |work=itinari |date=1 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref> The most likely origin is probably more mundane, but in any case someone decided to roll things up at some point. Nizam enjoyed a virtual monopoly over this method of serving kababs for decades, but it eventually became commonplace in Kolkata and later spread elsewhere.<ref name="theculturetrip">{{cite news |last1=Nambiar |first1=Sridevi |title=How The Famous Kathi Roll Originated At Kolkata's Nizam's Restaurant |url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/how-the-famous-kathi-roll-originated-at-kolkatas-nizams-restaurant/ |access-date=22 October 2022 |work=Culture Trip |date=3 January 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Kathiroll.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Kati roll served in Mumbai, India]] The ''kati'' part of the name came later. Like everyone else in India, Nizam used iron skewers to make their kababs; they were easy to maintain and lasted a lifetime. However, as Nizam popularity grew, these long heavy iron skewers became problematic, as far many more were required than could be handled.{{Clarify|date=December 2022}} In 1964, Nizam moved to bamboo skewers that were lightweight and available in large numbers. These skewers are referred to in Bengali as {{Transliteration|bn|kati}} or 'stick', and the names ''kati kabab'' and ''kati roll'' soon stuck. The name eventually became synonymous with any kind of paratha rolled with stuffing (even when neither ''kati'' nor ''kabab'' was involved) such as the egg roll or the potato roll, and later even for other breads such as naan or rumali.<ref name="Moneycontrol">{{cite news |last1=Mukherjee |first1=Kamalika |title=Kolkata-style kathi roll: The origin story, competition, and present-day avatar |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/lifestyle-trends/kolkata-style-kathi-roll-the-origin-story-competition-and-present-day-avatar-8874361.html |access-date=22 October 2022 |work=Moneycontrol |date=July 25, 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
In West Bengal, shops serving rolls are mostly known as ''Roll-er-dokaan'' and people use ''roll'' to refer to a kati roll. Chicken roll and egg roll are two of the most common variants of kati roll.
==Description== Traditionally, a kati roll is a ''kati'' kebab wrapped in a layered paratha bread. Paratha is dough that is kneaded into a rope, then coiled into a round patty. It is then flattened with a rolling pin and partially fried in oil on a tawa (griddle). These semi-cooked parathas are then kept aside until needed, at which time they're put back on the tawa and cooked through. If an egg is to be added, it is usually cracked into the tawa and the paratha put on top of the egg; they both cook together and the paratha gets coated on one side with the egg.
Kati kababs were originally beef, and now have variations with chicken or mutton (lamb) chunks, marinated in spices and cooked on skewers (the ''kati'') over coals in a sigri. When the roll is being prepared, these are taken off the skewers and tossed with onions, chillies and sauces on the tawa, before being laid in a thin strip on the centre of the paratha (egg side up, when applicable). At this stage, most roll vendors will add various kinds of sauces, a dash of vinegar, a squeeze of lime, sometimes a shake of chaat masala and maybe some julienned carrots. The whole thing is then rolled up (originally in old newspaper, but now clean paper is generally used). In Kolkata, the paper usually covers only half the roll; elsewhere the paper will cover more or even all of the roll.
==Variants== Variants on the filling include egg, potato, paneer, mixed vegetables, and curried chicken or mutton. Other variants may have different ingredient combinations, or curries such as Thai or Sichuan. In August 2012, U.S.-based fast food chain Taco Bell released a version of the kati roll in India. The "Mexican-inspired burrito" is a combination of a kati roll and a Kathitto.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Taco Bell India Facebook Page|title=Introducing Kathitto: Something Different to|url=http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/547917_10151150910679813_1224265371_n.jpg|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130221142527/http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/547917_10151150910679813_1224265371_n.jpg|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 February 2013|access-date=5 November 2012}}</ref>
== Similar dishes ==
* Paratha roll, a similar dish from Karachi
==See also== * List of stuffed dishes
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Sandwiches}} {{Street food}} {{Indian Dishes}} {{Cuisine of India}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kati Roll}} Category:Paratha Category:Culture of Kolkata Category:Indian fast food Category:Hors d'oeuvres Category:Street food Category:Indian sandwiches Category:Bengali cuisine