Missi roti, a beloved Indian flatbread, has achieved an unexpected accolade: 56th place on Taste Atlas’s list of the “Worst Rated Foods in the World” for 2025. And let’s just say, it hasn’t gone down as smoothly as a dollop of butter melting on a piping hot roti. Indians on the internet are fuming, puzzled, and in some cases, flat-out cracking jokes. After all, how could a dish so integral to North Indian cuisine—and so undeniably tasty when paired with kadhai paneer or dal tadka—wind up on this dubious list?
The list that cooked up a storm
The ranking, released earlier this month by Taste Atlas, an online platform celebrated for its food polls and culinary explorations, featured other eyebrow-raising entries like jellied eels, deep-fried pizza, and chocolate-covered bacon. At the very top of the “worst” pile was Finland’s blodpalt, a dumpling made with blood and barley. Missi roti’s inclusion at number 56 among such eccentric culinary creations has, understandably, left Indians scratching their heads—and their rolling pins.
The Reddit page “r/indiasocial” captured the collective disbelief with a post titled, “Missi Roti features in the world’s worst dishes list. We Riot!” Thousands of food-loving netizens poured in to defend the honour of this humble yet iconic flatbread.
Missi roti: a misunderstood marvel?
For the uninitiated, missi roti is an unleavened Indian flatbread made with gram flour, whole wheat flour, and a fragrant mix of spices, such as garam masala, red chilli powder, ajwain, and jeera. Some variations even include chopped onions, fenugreek leaves, or spinach. Traditionally cooked on a tawa until golden brown and slightly crisp, missi roti is best enjoyed with hearty North Indian curries, chutneys, or even a dollop of yoghurt. Missi roti takes the Indian flatbread game one notch up, as it has aromatics and greens.
One Redditor lamented, “Looks like they felt compelled to throw in something from India just to avoid admitting that every Indian dish is an absolute masterpiece. Nice try, though.” Another chimed in, “Missi roti’s bland tone when paired with a rich sabzi is culinary brilliance. Let them stick to their canned beans.”
Was it a bad pairing or bad press?
Some defenders suggested that perhaps the evaluators at Taste Atlas had the misfortune of eating missi roti on its own, without the side dishes that bring it to life. “They don’t know about accompaniment for roti! If you serve them a bowl of dal, they’ll probably eat it like payasam”, one user barfed.
But there were also voices of reason amid the outrage. One commenter reminded everyone, “Just because we like something doesn’t mean everyone else does. Taste is subjective, after all.” Perhaps, as Taste Atlas claims, the rankings reflect global opinions, not an indictment of India’s culinary traditions. Still, many remain unconvinced.
Taste Atlas: friend or foe?
Taste Atlas, a Croatia-based platform, is known for its ambitious attempts to catalogue and rank traditional dishes from around the world. While it has earned praise for spotlighting underappreciated cuisines, it’s no stranger to controversy. In the same breath that Indians bemoaned missi roti’s placement on the “worst” list, they also pointed out that four Indian dishes ranked in the top 100 “Best Dishes in the World”—a fact conveniently ignored in the current uproar. Among the best dishes were keema, murgh makhani, Hyderabadi biryani and chicken 65 from India.
Adding salt to the wound is the company missi roti keeps on this list. Alongside it are fusion creations like the ramen burger and pizza strips—culinary experiments that don’t have centuries of tradition backing them up.
A roti’s redemption arc
While missi roti’s place on the list may sting, it’s also a reminder of how deeply food is tied to identity and culture. Even though the dish is traditionally from Punjab, the backlash—ranging from fiery Reddit debates to humorous comments—reflects a collective pride in India’s culinary heritage. It’s not just about defending flatbread; it’s about asserting the value of traditional foods in a world increasingly dominated by trends and fusion experiments.
Perhaps, in time, missi roti will enjoy a redemption arc, much like ghee—once dismissed as unhealthy but now a darling of health-conscious foodies worldwide.
As one Redditor cheekily put it, “Taste Atlas can keep their blodpalt and jellied eels. We’ll stick to our missi roti and kadhai paneer, thank you very much.”
– Jnanendra Das