SAN FERNANDO, Trinidad and Tobago — It is, at a glance, simple and unremarkable: a circle of flatbread as flaccid as a cotton cloth, with a texture not quite as doughy as pita bread, yet fluffier than a tortilla.

To a diner unfamiliar with the dish, it may look like an accessory, just a vehicle to get hearty helpings of meat and vegetables into the mouth. But roti, a staple of this West Indian island nation’s cuisine, is anything but a culinary afterthought. It is so ingrained in the culture here that the term often refers to the bread combined with its accompaniments, typically a yellow curry stew of meat, potatoes and chickpeas.

When done right, this flatbread is silky and buttery and melts on the tongue in a puddle of succulent flavors. Preparing it, though, requires a lifetime of study.

Roti arrived on the island of Trinidad around the time slavery was abolished in the late 1830s, with indentured servants from India, where the unleavened flatbread has been popular for many centuries. Dhal puri, paratha and sada are the most readily available styles of roti in Trinidad.