One of the most famous foods which Malaysians love to eat for breakfast is roti canai. It’s light, filling, and obviously tasty. You can eat it with curry, dhal, or even on its own. What’s more, there are many variations of the iconic roti dish. You simply can’t go wrong when it comes to this beloved flatbread dish.
With that said, have you ever wondered how it would be ranked among other famous dishes around the world? Surprisingly, the dish was placed at one of the top spots as an online traditional food guide recently released its latest food ranking.
In case you haven’t heard, TasteAtlas is an online experiential travel guide for traditional food and has been known for sharing its top worldwide food ranking from time to time. Over the weekend, the food site posted this year’s 50 Best Street Foods In The World list and Malaysia’s roti canai has been ranked in the top 10 spots, specifically at no. 2!
Surprised? So are we. The famous dish bested Japan’s karaage, Mexico’s tacos, and Indonesia’s siomay. The list has been reposted on social media and Malaysian netizens were astonished, to say the least, that one of our most beloved dishes managed to take the no. 2, especially after the food guide gave our iconic nasi lemak a mid-rating last year.
Scrolling through Twitter, the reactions to the latest ranking have been mixed. Some were happy that a popular dish in Malaysia has been recognised by a famous food site. Others however questioned TasteAtlas’s credibility and how the data was collected. There were also those who felt roti canai shouldn’t have been on the list, as it doesn’t technically count as a street food that customers can eat on the go.
TasteAtlas is known for causing some food ranking controversies in the past so it’s no surprise that some people have doubts about the list. What do you think about roti canai being ranked as the second-best street food in the world?