Malaysia’s Roti Canai Ranked World’s Best Bread
Online food guide TasteAtlas published a ranking of the Best Breads in the World.
Malaysia’s roti canai clinched the top spot as the best in the world.
Source: TasteAtlas on Facebook
TasteAtlas ranked Singapore’s roti prata as a separate bread at 12th place, sparking controversy on whether they were the same.
The guide doubled down with an article explaining their differences.
Roti canai number one, roti prata number 12
On 10 Sep, online food guide TasteAtlas released their 2023 ranking of the Best Breads in the World.
The site’s scores relied on registered users’ reviews out of five stars.
Malaysia’s roti canai seized the top spot in a close battle with Colombia’s pan de bono. Singapore’s own roti prata took a respectable 12th place on the list.
The list sparked local controversy, however, as many Singaporeans did not consider the two breads different.
8world News reported that most interviewed locals considered both canai and prata to be “the same food”.
Confused locals considered roti canai and prata to be the same
Similarly, the Redditors of r/singapore expressed their confusion. One quipped that the canai had a 3:1 flavour advantage on the prata, referencing the currency exchange rate.
Source: Reddit
On Facebook, netizens joked that the difference was the roti canai’s cheaper price.
Source: Facebook
Meanwhile, others noted that the ‘father’ of both breads, India’s paratha, lagged behind at the 29th spot.
Source: Reddit
Despite the controversy, some attempted to properly reason the separate rankings. A local street vendor interviewed by 8world News suggested that the different kinds of flour used in both countries could have minor effects on the taste.
Source: 8world News on TikTok
TasteAtlas doubles down on claim
The bickering and shots fired against TasteAtlas prompted the international guide to soon release an article.
In it, they doubled down on their claim, declaring roti canai and roti prata similar but separate.
Source: TasteAtlas
The article highlighted three key differences.
- Texture: TasteAtlas claims that roti canai has a crispier exterior while roti prata possesses a chewier texture
- Ingredients: Here, the difference is roti canai’s use of ghee (a form of butter) while prata uses sweeter ingredients like condensed milk and sugar
- Serving styles: Roti canai comes with “various curries” while roti prata has “lentil curry” and “sugar”.
Unfortunately, TasteAtlas failed to quell the flames of controversy. Unimpressed commenters on their website let their contempt be known.
Readers remain unimpressed after reading TasteAtlas article
One pulled a list of local credentials and declared the article “rubbish”.
Source: TasteAtlas
Another accused the article’s writer of never having eaten local roti prata (or canai?).
They argued that the condensed milk and sugar that TasteAtlas considered ingredients did not get added to the dough. Instead, they were served to cater to different tastes. For this reason, the commenter declared the two breads the same.
Source: TasteAtlas
In the end, the roti canai vs prata debate remains unsettled.
Even so, we do think it’s certainly something to be proud of for both dishes to achieve high rankings on the list of best breads in the world.
Also read: Boy In M’sia Flexes Prata-Spinning Skills, Dough Ends Up Landing On Toddler’s Head
Boy In M’sia Flexes Prata-Spinning Skills, Dough Ends Up Landing On Toddler’s Head
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Featured image adapted from TasteAtlas on Facebook and TasteAtlas.
