With humans, travels their culture
Dholl/Dal Puri is one of the most popular street foods in Mauritius. If you think the name has a desi ring to it, you’re right! This humble recipe travelled all the way from India to Mauritius in the 1800s.
Under British rule, when indentured labourers from northern India reached Mauritius, they brought with them their own culinary culture and ingredients, which led to the birth of the iconic ‘Dholl Puri’.
The accidental invention of Dholl Puri
The newly arrived Indian laborers were provided with weekly rations of food and water. The latter being a precious resource, they would use the same water to cook dal/lentils and knead the dough for rotis/bread. Some of the dal would unknowingly get mixed with the dough, resulting in flatbreads with dal. In time, this would become a conscious choice, giving birth to the Dholl (Dal) Puri (flatbread stuffed with lentils).
Most of the Indian-origin Mauritian foods use maida (refined flour) over whole wheat flour. This tradition started because maida’s longer shelf-life would help preserve food items during long sea voyages. The Dholl Puri is no exception. It’s cooked on a tava or griddle and is always served in pairs.
Bespoke variants
Since Dholl Puri is dry and crumbly with minimal flavoring, it needs to be served with a flavourful side dish. For many, the best accompaniment for the Dholl Puri is achar or pickle - made from ingredients like carrot, pineapple, or green mango.
Dholl puri is also commonly wrapped around Cari Gros Pois, a butter bean curry served with Rougaille, a Creole-style tomato curry, and garnished with coriander chutney and chilli. All of it is best washed down with a cold soft drink.
In Vijay Mishra’s book The Literature of the Indian Diaspora: theorizing the Diasporic Imaginary (2007), he writes about a Trinidadian version of the same dish called Buss Up Shut (bust up shirt), as it mirrors the appearance of ragged clothes.
In the Indian universe of foods, the Maharashtrian delicacy Puran Poli, although sweet, is the closest equivalent of the Dholl Puri.
Migration has always led to inter-country and inter-continental movement of cultures and cuisines. The Dholl Puri is a classic example of the amalgamation of two very distinct worlds brought together by dire circumstances and limited resources, culminating in a delicious delicacy that stands the test of time.
Image Credits: The Mint, The Guardian
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