Filmmaker Richard Fung, a Trinidadian now living in Toronto, here traces the history of dal puri, also called roti—a flatbread made with split peas and often wrapped around curried meat or vegetables—which for him evokes memories of home and hot weather. Canadians think that dal puri comes from the southern Caribbean; in the Caribbean, however, it is believed to be Guyanese, Surinami, or Trinidadian; and those countries in turn call it an Indian dish. Fung begins in central Trinidad and travels to India's Bhojpuri region, before finally heading back home to Toronto, along the way visiting villages and cities, spice factories, and home kitchens, where he finds many varieties of roti and disparate ways of preparing and serving it. Jung interviews cooks, shop owners, authors, scholars, and historians, assembling a timeline beginning in the mid-19th up through the early-20th centuries when indentured workers brought roti from India to the Caribbean colonies, while also touching on the history of sugar cane production and slavery in the Caribbean. Interwoven are present-day human interest stories, as well as culinary details of preparing roti. Animations and archival photographs add visual interest in between interviews and shots of flatbread being rolled out, fried, and folded. An unusually meticulous if also occasionally meandering tribute to the complex history of a single dish, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)
Dal Puri Diaspora
(2012) 80 min. In English & Bhojpuri w/English subtitles. DVD (digital copy included): $500. Third World Newsreel. PPR. Volume 30, Issue 2
Dal Puri Diaspora
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