Street food
Roti and salomie
Also known as rooti, salomi
A salomie is curry rolled up in a flaky Cape Malay roti, sold at markets, bazaars and takeaway shops and traditionally eaten by hand.
- TraditionCape Malay
- Kind of dishStreet food
- SeasonAll year
- OccasionAny day of the week
The story
Wrapped around a filling of mutton, mince, chicken or bean curry, a Cape Malay roti becomes a salomie, which is traditionally eaten without cutlery. The roti itself is thick, flaky and buttery, closer to an Indian paratha than to a thin chapati, and it is also eaten alongside curry.
Salomies are sold at markets, bazaars, roadhouses and takeaway shops. In 1992 the Weekly Mail wrote of one cook whose salomies had an almost religious following among office workers, labourers and residents of the nearby Bo-Kaap, and the writer Tony Karon has described the salomie as Cape Town's own street-food answer to Durban's bunny chow.
Salomies are quick to eat but take a long time to make. Kneading and rolling the roti can take most of a day, and the curry needs time too.
Stories
Related reading
Sources
Check out these sources
- The bittersweet (and spicy) history of South African cuisine (Tony Karon) · Explore Parts Unknown
- Salomie: Cape Town's favourite roti wrap · Cape Town Etc
- The unifying power of roti (Parusha Naidoo) · Wanted (Business Day)
- roti, n. · Dictionary of South African English (Rhodes University Dictionary Unit)
- A Guide to Cape Malay Cooking Terms: From Koe'sisters to Mavrou (Robyn Samuels) · Crush Magazine
- Salomie with chicken curry · Woolworths TASTE
