Kati roll: Difference between revisions

| name = Kati roll

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The ''kati roll'' is said to have started its life in the Nizam Restaurant in [[Kolkata]], a popular eatery founded in 1932.<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 [[Babu (title)|babus]] who were too fastidious to touch the 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>

The ''kati'' part of the name came later. Like everyone else in India, Nizam's used iron skewers to make their kababs; they were easy to maintain and lasted a lifetime. However, as Nizam's popularity grew, these long heavy iron skewers became problematic; as far more was required than could be handled. In 1964, Nizam moved to bamboo skewers that were lightweight and available in large numbers. These skewers are referred to in [[Bengali language|Bengali]] as ''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 roti|roomali]].<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>