Why KFC failed to master Karachi's famed paratha rolls

20.07.2023 - 13:13 / bbc.com

Paratha rolls – tender, juicy kebab or bite-sized chunks of grilled meat smothered with tangy chutney, garnished with onions and rolled in flaky, crispy fried flatbread (paratha) – are to Pakistanis what hot dogs are to Americans; they are at the culinary core of the frenetically paced city of Karachi. In this ethnically and linguistically diverse metropolis, paratha rolls are one of the few creations the city can proudly claim as its own. It's not so much a question of whether you've tried them, but which one is your favourite.

The central premise is simple – just wrap a kebab in a paratha. But Masuma Yousufzai, a Karachi local who grew up eating paratha rolls, says it's the marriage of the two staples that stands out. Typically, kebab and paratha are eaten by tearing off pieces of the bread to scoop up the meat, but putting the bread and meat in one roll makes it greater than the sum of its parts. For Karachi residents, the food has always captured the zeitgeist of the times in one daring, delicious parcel.

"[Holding] it all in your hands and being able to eat it all at the same time – with the chutney dripping out – lets you taste that melody of flavour in every bite. Somehow, it makes the whole experience a lot better. And tastier," Yousufzai said.

The backstory is as satisfying as the food. In 1970, Hafiz Habib ur Rehman created the now iconic kebab rolls quite serendipitously during a particularly busy day at his local snack bar called Silver Spoon Snacks in Karachi's famed shopping street, Tariq Road. Newly established at the time, Silver Spoon initially served a plate of kebab and paratha, as well as chaat (a savoury chickpea snack) and ice cream. On a whim one day, when a customer was pressed for time and couldn't sit down to enjoy his food, Rehman hastily rolled the kebab into a paratha for him, wrapped it in wax paper and handed it over. Another customer standing close by requested the same. Rehman soon realised this wasn't just efficient – suddenly, he had fewer dishes to wash, seating space was freed up and customers were served swiftly. It was also novel and exciting.

"When we first introduced the kebab roll, waiters had to explain to customers that it wasn't meant to be unwrapped and eaten like roti," he said. Initially, Rehman gave away the rolls for free, tucking them into orders of more familiar items such as chaat or walking up to cars at the nearby Liberty Chowk (roundabout) traffic light like a newspaper hawker in the hopes that paratha rolls would catch on.

They did.

At the time, newer fast-food businesses in Karachi were focused on Western-style burgers and sandwiches and frowned upon Rehman's curious "kebab in paratha rolls". They relegated the rolls to the land of bun kebabs