Aamchi Mumbai Ep. 7

Delicacies of Mumbai

The aspect of food culture is an essential part while writing about a particular place. similarly Mumbai offers one of the best and most loved foods which is famous worldwide. The city offers food from all over the world, you are able to eat any cuisine from any part of the world in Mumbai. Mumbai has some of its own mouth watering delicacies. Let's explore some of the major foods of Mumbai

• Vada Pav :

How can one miss the absolute yummy Vada pav while talking about Mumbai food culture. Crispy vada of smashed potatoes with pav and various tangy delicious chutneys is the identity & signature street food of Mumbai which was invented in 1966. An ordinary Mumbaikar, Ashok vaidya outside Dadar station firstly fried a vada and served with a pav and made a history. The starting of sale of Vada pav has a different reason behind it, this was an effort of Balasaheb Thackeray who urged his fellow Maharashtrians to become entrepreneurs to increase the employment for Marathi people in Mumbai like the way how South Indians had by setting up Udupi restaurants. Vada pav got a tremendous response in the city as many people fed themselves during the lunch break because it's tasty, affordable and enough to fill the stomach. After the hit of Dadar Vada pav, in many corners of Mumbai the hardworking Mumbaikars put up Vada pav stalls. The Vada pav originated in Mumbai is famous all across the globe, it is known as the Indian Burger or Bombay Burger in other countries. Even now the Ashok Vada pav is present in Dadar, near Kirti college which serves one of the best vada pav in the city. 

• Bombay Pav Bhaji :

Pav Bhaji is another fast food from Mumbai which is delicious in its own sense and is served on the roadside stalls and even in the 5 star hotels. The invention of Pav bhaji took place because the mill workers in 1850s had a short lunch break so they preferred something quick, yummy yet a heavy meal. Some cooks stood outside the mill factories with stalls who invented this dish to fulfill the needs of the workers. Bombay pav bhaji is also famous as favorite evening snack in India. Even abroad, we find Bombay pav bhaji in restaurants which proves that it is loved by everyone. Approximately millions of people eat Pav bhaji everyday in Mumbai alone! 

• Prominent Drinks from Mumbai :

Tea is an essential part of out lives which is also the second most consumed drink after water in the world. To kick start the day or any activity people prefer a cup of tea. In Mumbai because of the busy & hustling lifestyle, Mumbaikars prefer the cutting chai, usually is the half a cup of tea which is less in quantity & price but more than enough to get refreshed. Initially this cutting chai used to be offered only in Chai Tapris and small tea stalls but recently this special Cutting Chai is served in famous cafes all over the place. You will find many tea stalls offering this aromatic beverage in almost every corner of the city. Usually people have 2-3 cups of tea on daily basis that is why this concept gained popularity so that people can get the necessary refreshment in half cup itself and balance the amount of tea consumed in a day. 

'Piyush' is a dessert drink from Maharashtra which is usually prefered after lunch because of its sweetened taste. The Piyush is also known as the 'Marathi Lassi'. It is prepared with buttermilk, shrikhand, kesar and dry fruits and when these flavours blend together it gives the heavenly relish to the people who have a sweet tooth. 

• Misal Pav : 

The authentic spice of Maharashtra is the Misal pav (मिसळ पाव) which is a common snack in the state. The Mamledar Misal from Thane, the Bedekar & Katakirr Misal from Pune, Khandeshi Misal, Nashik Misal and the famous Kolhapuri Misal are the most loved ones. Mumbai too provides one of the best Misal in many iconic restaurants. Misal is served with the Tarri (spicy oil gravy) which decides the level of spice above the gravy of moth beans, Farsaan (dry bhel), onions, coriander and Pav (bread). In some of the places Misal is also served with curd and papad. In 2015, The Misal from 'Aaswad' restaurant in Gadkari Chowk, Dadar was recognised as "World's tastiest vegetarian dish" At the FoodieHub awards in London. 

• Famous Indian street Food : 

In some places like the Juhu, Girgaon chowpatty, Ghatkopar Khau galli etc you will find the most amazing chat items from all over India which includes, bhel puri, shev puri, pani puri, kachchi dabeli, corn chat, pav bhaji, aloo chat, sandwiches and a lot more. People from all parts of India migrate to Mumbai so the city has all the cuisines. Many restaurants offer the authentic Indo-Chinese, Italian and continental dishes that are loved by the locals. 

There are some Khau Gallis in Mumbai which are the paradise for the foodies. The entire lanes are flooded with food stalls & juice centres. Some of the famous ones are the Carter road Khau galli where a lot of young folks enjoy their favourite food with the cool breeze of the sea, Ghatkopar Khau galli offers the best vegetarian street foods other ones are Tardeo khau galli, Mahim Khau galli etc

There are numerous diligent women across Mumbai who provide homecooked food for office goers & people at workplace. Women earn money to sustain their families by operating the tiffin services which offers the best Maharashtrian food. These are the ones who have preserved the authentic & true flavour of Maharashtra cuisine over years.

In this episode we have seen the food aspect of Mumbai. Till now goodbye, will be happy to see you all in the next episode of 'Aamchi Mumbai'. 

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