A paratha is an Indian flat-bread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of cooked dough. In Burma, it is known as palata while it is known as farata in the Maldives.

It is one of the most popular unleavened flat breads in Indian, Pakistani and Bengali cuisine. it is made by frying whole wheat dough on a tava. The paratha dough usually contains ghee or cooking oil which is also layered on the freshly prepared paratha.

Parathas are usually stuffed with vegetables such as boiled potatoes, leaf vegetables, radishes or cauliflower or paneer. A paratha can be eaten simply with butter or with chutney, pickles, and yogurt, meat or vegetable curries. Some roll the paratha into a tube and eat it with tea.

The paratha can be round, heptagonal, square or triangular. In the round paratha, the stuffing is mixed with the kneaded flour and the paratha is prepared as roti.

In the latter two, the ball of kneaded flour is flattened into a circle, the stuffing is kept in the middle, and the flat-bread is closed around the stuffing like an envelope with discernible soft layers.

The process of layering the “skins” of dough in paratha can make preparation a difficult process. This, mixed with the popularity of this flat-bread has opened the market to several ranges of frozen paratha.

Ready to cook paratha may also be purchased. These preparations offer one-step preparation and save time. Some of the ready-to-cook products in the market are just the stuffing for making the stuffed parathas.