"Kolkata's street food: an egg-coated flaky flatbread filled with charcoal-grilled meat, onion and lime, rolled in paper. Invented at Nizam's in 1932. Still unsurpassed."
About Kati Roll
Kolkata's greatest street invention: a paratha (flaky flatbread) cooked on a tawa with egg, filled with skewered and charcoal-grilled chicken, lamb or paneer, sliced onion, green chilli and lime, rolled tightly in paper; invented at Nizam's restaurant on New Market in 1932; now replicated in every Indian city but never equalled outside Kolkata.
Kati Roll, a staple of India's cuisine
Kolkata's Invention
The kati roll is Kolkata's great street food: a flaky paratha cooked with egg, wrapped around skewer-grilled chicken, lamb or paneer with sliced onion, green chilli and a squeeze of lime, then rolled in paper. It was created at a Kolkata restaurant in the early twentieth century as a portable, hand-held version of grilled kebab and bread. It remains the city's defining snack.
The Egg Paratha
The signature technique is the egg paratha. A beaten egg is spread on the hot griddle and the paratha pressed onto it, so the egg cooks into the surface and becomes the inner layer of the wrap. This egg-laminated flatbread is specific to the Kolkata roll and gives it a richness and structure other Indian wraps lack.
The Fillings
At its heart is the kati, the skewer of charcoal-grilled meat, traditionally lamb, now also chicken, with paneer for the vegetarian version. The fillings are kept simple, onion, chilli and lime, so the char of the meat and the flaky, egg-rich bread lead. The balance of smoke, acid and bread is the whole appeal.
Street Culture
The kati roll is fast food in the truest sense, assembled to order in moments and eaten on the move, wrapped in paper. It has been imitated across India and beyond but is rarely matched outside its home city. Eaten hot from a Kolkata stall, the bread still flaky and the meat still smoking, it is the city's street culture in one hand.
What to Expect
The kati roll arrives wrapped in paper at Nizam's in New Market, the paratha slightly flaky, the egg layer visible at the torn end. The diner unwraps and eats, the char of the grilled meat and the lime and the flaky bread are the combination.
Why Try It
Kati roll is the food that defines Kolkata's street culture, imitated across India but never fully reproduced outside the city.
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Insider Tips
Nizam's on Hogg Street in New Market (the original) and Kusum Rolls in Park Street are the two essential addresses.
The egg paratha version is the definitive format, egg cooked into the flatbread, not added separately.
Order extra green chillies on the side, the heat level from the standard application is conservative.
