Every culture/country in the world has some form of staple "bread" item. Usually, it's a flat bread, often made out of a grain or sometimes a root. It's hard to figure out America's because there is so much influence from other countries. If I had to pick one, I would say Native American Fry Bread, but I think that came after the Europeans got here.
So, in India, there are several types and varieties of bread native to Indian cooking. My favorite is chapati because of the flavor and, when I am at an Indian restaurant, I try to get roti because it is usually less filling than naan. Leaves more room for the good stuff.
I Googled Paratha Vs. Roti because I wanted to see if anyone had a good side by side description of the types of Indian bread. I found this and it does a pretty good job. Wikipedia also has good pages and pictures about each of these.
Here is the link to this info: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081013075612AAkR6KB
Enjoy!
Roti, Chapati & Paratha are all Indian flatbreads. They are made on a flat top griddle or tawa. They are similar but there are subtle differences:
ROTI is a traditional unleavened whole-wheat bread which, depending on the country and the cook, can be as thin as a "skin" or soft and pliable, closer to a pita. Rotis are eaten mainly in North India but are known as "phulkas" in the West & the South parts of India. Deep fried versions are known as "poori".
CHAPATI is traditionally made from very finely milled whole wheat "chapati flour" and tend to be thin and papery. They are made using a 3 fold process into a triangular shape and then rolled out into a circle. Each layer is well oiled (ghee), resulting in thin layers. This type of flatbread is also known as "poli" and eaten commonly in the Western & Southern regions of India. Nowadays, many cooks add a tbsp or so of yogurt to the dough with the end result being soft chapatis without the excess use of oil or ghee.
PARATHA is a North Indian flatbread that may be stuffed or not. It is usually on the thicker side and may have several layers (8-10) that are well oiled with ghee.
NAAN, which is made from white flour and leavened either with a starter or with yeast. It is traditionally made in a tandoor oven.
BHATURAS are fried versions of naans. They are eaten with chole. (Chole is a dish made with chickpeas, like a curry or masala.)
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