A South African kota sandwich commonly includes chips. The kota, also called a spatlo or sphatlho in some regions, is a township street-food sandwich made from a hollowed-out quarter loaf of bread packed with fillings, including fried potato chips.
The dish is highly customizable. Along with chips, a kota may contain sausage, egg, a beef patty, cheese, polony, atchar, or other inexpensive, filling ingredients. The potato component is often “slap” chips, the soft, vinegar-associated style of South African fried potatoes, rather than delicate shoestring fries.
The sandwich developed in South African townships and became closely linked with school lunches, tuckshops, and spaza shops. Earlier versions reportedly used mashed potatoes and beef mince; later versions substituted fried chips and expanded the range of fillings.
The word kota comes from “quarter,” referring to the quarter loaf used as the bread shell. The name helps distinguish the sandwich from a conventional burger: its defining format is a hollowed piece of bread crowded with layered fillings, with chips functioning as both a substantial ingredient and a textural contrast.