Malaysians are a fierce bunch when it comes to matters of local food and would go to great lengths to protect its culinary identity.
We often hear Malaysians being at odds with Singaporeans and Indonesians over whose version of the same food is the best, but this time around, a man from India has found himself on the hot plate.
An X (formerly Twitter) user who goes by Amit Misra commented on a poll titled “Best breads in the world” which put Malaysia’s roti canai at the very top of the list.
In his comment, Amit said “In fact, roti canai, a popular flatbread from Malaysia, originated in India and was brought to Malaysia by Indian labourers”, and attached an image which showed the best breads in the world rankings by TasteAtlas from 2023.
In fact, Roti canai, a popular flatbread from Malaysia, originated in India and was brought to Malaysia by Indian laborers. pic.twitter.com/uRpWUmyTqI
— Amit Misra (@amit6060) January 18, 2025
Malaysian netizens wholeheartedly disagree with him
Amit’s comment was flooded with responses from Malaysians who disagree with his statement that the dish was brought to Malaysia by Indian labourers and insist that roti canai is a Malaysian creation.
How much of his statement is true?
According to a study, bread originated in Southwest Asia and spread to East Asia, but it was not a staple food in Southeast Asia. If bread never originated from this region, it had to come from somewhere else, right?
Archeobotanical evidence from the study revealed the origins of bread 14,400 years ago in Northeastern Jordan.
While roti canai may have been inspired by flatbreads from India, it remains known as a creation of Malaysia through its different preparation methods and of course, in the name.
For example, Indian parathas are typically made by layering and folding the dough multiple times, resulting in a crisp, flaky texture when cooked. They’re also a lot denser than roti canai.
Malaysian roti canai on the other hand, is kneaded with ghee (clarified butter), resulting in a soft, stretchy texture. The dough is then flattened, folded, and fried to achieve a crispy exterior and a soft, flaky interior.
There’s has been debate on whether the “canai” in roti canai means that the dish was originally from Chennai, India. But “canai” is also a Malay word for rolling (dough) thinly, which is part of the roti canai cooking process.
As an example, if you ask for roti canai in Mumbai or Kerala, you’ll just be confusing the locals. The closest thing to roti canai over there would be known as Malabar or Kerala Paratha.
The bottom line is, all foods have its origins and they make their way to other parts of the world where locals would give it their own twist, which doesn’t make it any less special. In fact, the assimilation and evolution of food is what makes the culinary world even more interesting as time goes by.
