The Caribbean flaky flatbread — Trinidad's dhal puri and buss-up-shot roti — a soft, warm vehicle for curries and stews eaten across all Caribbean communities regardless of ethnic origin.
For Trinidadian, Guyanese, and Barbadian diaspora, eating roti with curry is as fundamental as eating rice and peas. The roti shops that dot Caribbean-American neighborhoods — especially in Crown Heights Brooklyn, Flatbush, and South Florida — are community institutions.
Dhal puri roti — the split pea-filled version — delivers significant additional protein and fiber from the split pea filling beyond the wheat flour. The glycemic response is lower than white bread when made with whole wheat and split pea filling. Caribbean roti serves the same cultural role as injera in Ethiopian culture — the vehicle and the food simultaneously, eaten communally from a shared tray.
Basic roti: mix flour, salt, water, fat; rest; roll thin; cook on tawa/cast iron griddle with ghee or oil. For dhal puri: prepare split pea filling (boil split peas, dry-grind with cumin and pepper), roll filling into dough ball; cook on griddle. Buss-up-shot is torn into shreds while hot for flaky texture.
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