The history of dholl puri by Sakinah, Shreshta and Sabine

Dholl puri, a delicacy which is made with dough from wheat flour, stuffed with ground split peas, was introduced by Indian indentured labourers more than a century ago. It has since become extremely popular in Mauritius. Brought by our Bhojpuri speaking ancestors from Bihar, the small pan-fried stuffed pancake has won the heart and taste buds of our multi-cultural population as well as visiting tourists in Mauritius.

A dholl puri can be eaten as is or with a sour condiment (a type of chutney). In Mauritius, it is often eaten with vegetarian curries such as broad bean stews and “rougaille tomates”. It is also enjoyed with some type of meat or poultry curry options especially during weddings. Dholl puri is also often paired with sweet dishes such as kheer (rice pudding) and halwa (semolina pudding).

According to legends, the dholl puri comes from the Indian parathas which are flat and stuffed breads. It is said that due to the lack of ingredients, the Indians indentured labourers used substitutes, making a hybrid of what is called dholl puri in our days. The Mauritian dholl puri is bread made in Indian style and stuffed with “dal gram”; yellow split peas.

Low cost, ready availability and unique taste are factors that have turned dholl puri into the top ranking street food in Mauritius. The little pancake is the secret behind quite a few success stories where small entrepreneurs have evolved into flourishing businessmen. Everyone here is familiar with dholl puri Dewa [Arab Town, Rose Hill] or dholl puri Chapeau la Paille [Port Louis Market].

While the street-bought dholl puris have the property of being extremely soft and flaky, their homemade counterparts are sturdier in terms of texture and storage. Students are big consumers of Mauritian dholl puri because it is cheap and can be eaten no matter the period of the day and can be found in many places. The street dholl puri is served with a food selection that includes tomato sauce called rougaille, kidney beans, bredes songes and chutney or pickles.

*All nutritional information mentioned in the infographic has been provided by Miss VEERAPEN Yovanee (Qualified Dietitian / Nutritionist) Interview of Miss VEERAPEN Yovanee (Qualified Dietitian / Nutritionist)

1. Selon vous quelles sont les valeurs nutritives du dholl puri?

En tant que nutritioniste/diététicienne, pour moi le dholl puri, si c'est fait maison et sans abuser de l'huile, est un aliment complet vu que cela contient de l'énergie sous forme de farine, de protéine via le 'gros-pois' et des légumes.

2. Il y a-t-il des méfaits du à une sur-consommation du dholl puri?

Oui, bien sûr. Des méfaits tels que l’obésité et les maladies cardio vasculaires.

3. Selon vous quels sont les curry qui doivent accompagner le dholl puri afin que celui-ci soit bien équilibré?

On doit mettre beaucoup plus de légumes, y compris de la salade. On peut aussi le prendre avec du poulet ou poisson selon le goût.

4.Pensez- vous que le dholl puri est sur-consommé parmi les Mauriciens?

Oui. Les Mauriciens ne savent pas profiter des choses avec modération.

5.Pourquoi le dholl puri est classifié comme étant dans la categorie de 'bad fast food' de nos jours?

La raison principale c'est que cela contient trop d'huile. A niveau du commerce, il n'y a pas de règlements suffisamment stricts pour contrôler la quantité de graisse dans les aliments. De plus, souvent ce n'est pas très hygiénique.