Maharashtra is the third-largest state and welcomes numerous visitors every year. It harbours long tales of history and culture. The magnificence of the state can be acknowledged by the fact that the country's financial capital is present here. People love exploring and enjoying the monuments, celebrities, culture, and food of Maharashtra.
Maharashtrian cuisine has mildly spicy dishes that can steal anyone’s heart. Surprisingly, the world’s most popular and healthy breakfast options, like poha and vada pav, are part of Maharashtra’s famous food. Despite the diversity, people prominently use tamarind, kokum, and coconut in the cuisine.
Unlike other coastal regions, this state has various food options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. So whichever is your preference, this place will satisfy with its variety. Let’s list a few must-try dishes.
Want to try something fulfilling and nutritious for your breakfast? Then you can try this dish. It has two elements, i.e., pav (a type of bread) and bhaji (a type of thick gravy). The bhaji is prepared with various vegetables like peas, carrots, potatoes, etc. These vegetables are boiled, mashed and mixed with tomato gravy and spices. It is Mahrashtra’s unique food, served with toasted pavs, bhaji, onion salad, and butter. In the early morning, you can easily spot pav bhaji stalls on the streets. The trend of pav bhaji progressed in the late 1800s when the mill workers had short lunch breaks. Pav bhaji became a substitute for their Indian lunch consisting of chapati, rice, and curry.
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It is a type of flattened rice made from de-husking rice grains. These grains have various nutritious elements, including proteins, fibre, vitamins, and iron. Thus, people consider this popular Maharashtra food as the best breakfast option. It can help with weight loss and is better than our cereal. People have various variants of poha. For instance, many people prepare it with onions (Kande pohe), and many add peanuts. Moreover, it is an important part of a Maharashtrian snack. People pair it with cups of tea at arranged marriage meetings.
This dish gets the title of Maharashtra’s favourite dish because of the people’s love. Almost everyone here either starts or ends their day with this snack. It comprises a pav (a bun), a potato patty, special spices, fried green chillies, and mint dip. It looks like a burger but is quite spicy. You can find a vada pav vendor on every street in this state. People love this dish so much that its praises are even mentioned in many Bollywood movies and songs. It is also known as Batata vada in the Marathi language. Many versions of the vada pav, like the ulta vada pav, cheese vada pav, etc., are now available. So trying this Maharashtrian burger version should be on your list whenever you travel to Maharashtra.
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It is a sweet stuffed paratha (Indian flatbread), the traditional Maharashtra food specially prepared for big festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi. The word puran means stuffing, and poli means chapati in Marathi. The stuffing of this dish contains various ingredients like boiled chana dal, saffron, jaggery, and cardamom powder. People serve it with ghee. Many people enhance the flavours by adding cashews, raisins, almonds, or even ice cream.
Dal is a comfort food for everyone, and Aamti is its Maharashtrian version. It comprises toor daal, jaggery, grated coconut, kokum, tamarind juice, and goda masala. Thus, you get a "khatta meetha" and spicy flavour, i.e., a hint of sweetness and tanginess. It goes well with boiled rice and ghee. The versions of Amti recipes vary according to the region of the state. For instance, Shipi Amti is a speciality from Karjat and consists of 5 different lentils, including urad, moong, toor, masoor, and chana dal.
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The word modak means a fragment of bliss, and this dish is widely offered to Lord Ganesha and Lord Buddha. It looks like a dumpling filled with a sweet filling. Though there are many variants of modak, the one that is considered the traditional food of Maharashtra is Ukadiche modak (steamed). The outer layer comprises rice flour, and the stuffing includes grated coconut and powdered jaggery. But if you are in Maharashtra, try all the other variants of this dish to overfill your heart. Interestingly, this dish connects with other international cuisines like Japanese, Thai, Malay, etc.
You can find this on every Maharashtrian street. As the name suggests, it has two prime components, i.e., ragda (a type of curry) and pattice (a potato fritter). It may seem similar to tikki served in north India. But when you taste the dish, you can experience something different in the flavour. Unlike spiced tikki, the pattice is usually salted, and the spiced flavours are achieved with ragda. It is a curry of white peas with various spices. Moreover, you can enhance the flavours with the garnishings like tamarind dip, mint dip, chopped onions, tomatoes, and sev.
Want to grab something spicy and fulfilling for your breakfast or lunch? Then Misal Pav could be the right option. It is a popular food of Maharashtra that includes misal (spicy moth beans curry), pav (bread), salad, and curd or buttermilk. The origin of this dish is Kolhapur, and this district is known for the high spice content in its dishes. There are many new fixed versions of misal pav, like Khandeshi misal, Dahi misal, etc. Moreover, you may be shocked that this dish got the title of the world’s tastiest vegetarian dish (FoodieHub Awards, London).
The dish's name comes from the Marathi language, where tambda means copper and rassa means curry. It is one of the spiciest dishes, consisting of mutton and many spices. Firstly, cook the mutton in the pressure cooker with caramelised onions. Then prepare a gravy with tomatoes and various Indian spices like cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, black pepper, etc. Ultimately, just combine the two and simmer them for a while. There are various versions of rassa, including vegetarian rassa known as Patwadi rassa. It contains gram flour in place of meat.
It is a beverage consumed with or after meals for refreshment and better digestion. This drink requires a few ingredients like coconut milk, salt, soaked kokum, and some spices like rai, cumin seeds, dried red chillies, garlic cloves, and asafoetida. It protects the body from the side effects of a hot climate and contains various probiotic elements that are good for health.
Many historical references to this dish make it a gem in Indian cuisine. Some people believe that the dish originated in Dwapar Yug when Bhim (2nd eldest Pandav) cooked this dish and named it after Lord Krishna. Many historians found that Pesha Bajjirao was very fond of Shrikhand. It needs hanging curd, sugar, and flavouring agents like cardamom and saffron. You can garnish it with fruits and nuts.
This dessert stays on top during festivals like Gudi Padwa, Raksha Bandhan, Bhai Dooj, etc. It may look like rabri (a dessert from north India), but the consistency is a little watery. Moreover, the texture of rabri is a little flaky, like malai cream, whereas Basundi is quite soft. The preparation requires thickened milk, charoli, cardamom, saffron, and sugar. Many people add condensed milk to enhance the flavour.
It is also known as Bombay duck, lote, loitta, bummalo, and boomla. It is a type of fish that has a weird odour. Some people believe that the dish originated in West Bengal, and the Maharashtrians loved it so much that it became a popular seafood dish in the state. According to mythological tales, Lord Rama flung this fish towards the Bombay coast while building a bridge to Lanka. These are dried fish coated with semolina, which is then shallow-fried. People who love fish would be mesmerised by the flavours of this dish.
Do you remember the Bollywood song "Main to bhelpuri kha raha tha"? The hype of this Maharashtra’s famous food can be seen in Bollywood movies and other snack variants, such as the Bhel puri namkeen. You can find vendors selling this snack on every beach. It includes a mixture of namkeen, like puffed rice, sev, and peanuts. This namkeen is garnished with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, spices, and lemon juice. It is tangy and spicy chat with low calories.
Bharli means stuffed, and Vangi means brinjal. A famous dish of Maharashtra, Bharili Vangi, is quite common and popular. It is a variant of spicy stuffed eggplant. Bharli Khari Vangi is a lost dish that originates from the Solapur region. It is a mildly spicy dish prepared with green brinjals. Firstly, one prepares a stuffing with ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, and peanut powder. After stuffing this mixture into the brinjals, these are sauteed on a pan.
The culture and heritage of Maharashtra can refresh the mind and help explore a different side of the country. Moreover, the food of Maharashtra helps in experiencing unique flavours, winning thousands of hearts every day.
Now plan your trip to Maharashtra with Adotrip and explore the place without being harsh on your pocket. Get unmatched deals on accommodation and travel with travel assistance to plan your itinerary.
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Q. What are some famous dishes of Maharashtra?
A. It is challenging to tell Maharastra’s favourite food as there are too many options. Moreover, dishes like Bombay duck, vada pav, and misal pav are famous worldwide. You must add them to your food tour.
Q. What are some traditional snacks or street foods in Maharashtra?
A. Maharashtra is famous for street food. You can have spicy surprises in this category, like pav bhaji, vada pav, ragda pattice, poha, Bombay-style sandwiches, pani puri etc.
Q. What are some traditional drinks of Maharashtra?
A. To drink like a Maharashtrian, you can sip beverages like solkadhi, kokum sharbat, aam panna, and tadgola milkshake. These are great for beating the hot and humid weather.
Q. What are some traditional sweets of Maharashtra?
A. If you have a sweet tooth, traditional Maharashtrian sweets like puran poli, shrikhand, modak, and shankarpada should be on your list.
Q. What are some must-try dishes when in Maharashtra?
A. When travelling to Maharashtra, you must explore its street food, especially vada pav. If you plan to try something for lunch, you can try misal pav, pav bhaji, rice with rassa or amti, sabudana khichdi, upma, etc.
--- Published By Adotrip
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