Mumbai is famous for its street food—it is renowned for its food, period. However, every place in India serves a special kind of food that enjoys a special place in our hearts. If you visit Mumbai, you can’t miss the famous Pav Bhaji. This spicy dish is a street-side snack, a local favourite, and a national hit.
This dish, an amalgamation of different vegetables, is a healthy vegetarian meal. It can be a yummy way to eat all the vegetables one must eat but doesn’t necessarily enjoy. Served with a buttery side of pav buns with some chopped onions and lemon, it just makes a whole meal.
It can be enjoyed at any hour of the day; it is light and is suitable for brunch, lunch, dinner, or even a snack. During my school days, my mother used to pack me two lunchboxes: one for the bhaji and another for the buns and sides. I remember being the favourite person to sit next to while eating.
The glory of Pav Bhaji in Maharashtra and even the other parts of the country cannot be downplayed, but where did this dish come from? How did it become a traditional street food in Mumbai?
The story goes back to the 1860s, during the American Civil War. No, Pav Bhaji wasn’t invented in the United States; it was made right where we think it was made, in Mumbai, the city of dreams and opportunities.
Wait, then, how is it connected to the American Civil War? Well, because of the Civil War in America, there was a huge demand for cotton. The Bombay cotton exchange was booming, and so was the textile industry.
Every day, a large number of textile mill workers took lunch breaks that were not long enough to consume a complete meal. They had to return to strenuous physical labour immediately, so a light lunch was preferred over a heavy one.
Recognising the employees’ predicament, a local caterer developed a new recipe. The dish needed to be easy to make, light, but at the same time, nutritious and even cheap. The local caterer mashed a few leftover ingredients from the other dishes on the menu to form a curry-like concoction, and after adding some spices, the iconic bhaji was invented. The curries that were often served with Indian bread or rice were traditionally called ‘bhaji,’ but with this recipe, Bhaji was trademarked.
Pav came to India with the Portuguese when they came to Goa. When Goans came to Bombay in search of opportunities, the bread rolls travelled with them. Goans took the Portuguese recipe of making bread rolls and started making them for a Mumbai food market.
“Faced with the challenge to eke out an existence, the migrants utilised the skill they had acquired under the Portuguese and became bread-makers; and for almost a century, this profession remained a Goan monopoly in Bombay.”
Pav became a hit and was used in various street food items. So, for the meals of the textile mill workers, leftover Pav was used in place of roti or rice, which would have been preserved for other meals—the result was a delicious, spicy meal that became instantly popular with these mill employees.
Due to the Civil War in the United States, there was a huge demand for cotton from India. Traders used to flock to the Bombay cotton exchange, especially at night since the cotton rates were often sent via telegram from America. After odd working hours, traders would go back home late and have their meals. This wasn’t very convenient for their wives. More and more traders started eating Pav Bhaji to avoid annoying their women, and over time, it became famous.
The first stalls of Pav Bhaji dishes were opened near the cotton exchange. Street vendors would collect the leftover bread from the Jesuit priests, mix all the leftover vegetables, and serve Bhaji with buttered Pav. Soon, Pav Bhaji stalls became a common sight all over the cities, and by the late ‘60s, popular restaurants, such as Tardeo’s Sardar Pav Bhaji, had established themselves serving the dish.
Today, Pav Bhaji has made its way into the households of the entire nation with various variations. Punjab’s “pao” bhaji is loaded with garam masala and employs a lot of butter, pairing the dish with a filling glass of “lassi,” their classic sweet and savoury yogurt drink. A special recipe that replaces red chilli powder with Kolhapuri Kanda Lasun chutney creates a more fiery and garlicky pav bhaji.
Jain households have adopted a version without onions, garlic, and potatoes, using raw bananas instead of potatoes. This variety is popularly found in many parts of Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Pav Bhaji is a local favourite in the Kathiawar region, where my family and I are based. We have many restaurants that take pride in their recipes of different versions of Pav Bhaji. One of the most famous chain restaurants for Pav Bhaji is Honest.
Honest serves around ten types of Pav Bhaji or “Bhaji Pav.” Their varieties include paneer, cheese, and tomato-flavoured Pav Bhaji. They even cater to religious needs with Swaminarayan Bhaji Pav and Farali Bhaji. Many Pav Bhaji restaurants in Gujarat serve similar varieties.
A special recipe of Pav Bhaji, called Kada Pav Bhaji, is made without mashing the vegetables. The chopped vegetables are cooked and unbroken in the pot. Pav Bhaji in Kathiawar is often served with a glass of refreshing buttermilk, and if you ask for one, they might even serve you a special kind of buttermilk with added Tadka.
In my household, Pav Bhaji has held a special place. The dish is regular on our dining tables, but it has also been a safe choice for every occasion that involves guests. It is a common assumption that everyone enjoys Pav Bhaji.
As a child, my parents threw birthday parties every year, inviting my class of 25-30 students, even their parents. It was a tradition to serve Pav Bhaji at each of these parties. Recently, my mother played around with the recipe of Pav Bhaji and Bengan Bharta, mixing the two. I have to say that while I have always loved Pav Bhaji, this has been my favourite version so far.
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