Maharashtrian food beyond modaks and vada pavs

The 11-day Ganpati festival revolves around Lord Ganesha and his modak - sweet dumplings traditionally made with rice dough, coconut and jaggery, but now available in many flavours. Ukadiche modak, made with rice flour, is mentioned in ancient texts. Their modern versions use ingredients like chocolate, mango, almonds, cottage cheese, chopped nuts, strawberries, figs, dates etc.

But there’s far more to Maharashtra’s cuisine than modaks, vada pav and pav bhaji. While these foods are associated with the state, Maharastra’s food culture is simple but nutritious and varied. There is heavy use of locally grown and seasonal crops, making the food healthy. 

Despite the cosmopolitan cities of Mumbai and Pune embracing foods from other parts of India and the world, each region in Maharashtra has its own distinctive dishes, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. They, however, remain hidden because of the excessive focus on vada pav and pav bhaji.

Some common ingredients found in all Maharashtrian kitchens include tamarind, coconut, kokum (garcinia indica from the mangosteen family), goda masala, and metkut masala (a spice blend made from dry roasted rice, wheat, lentils, and other spices).

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Regions, seasons and cuisines

The north-eastern Vidarbha region is drought-prone, impacting water resources, land quality, and agricultural output.

Vidarbha's cuisine is known as Varadi and often uses earthen pots for cooking. Chicken and mutton are popular in this region since seafood is not easily available.

Well known for its bold spiciness, Varadi food is not for the faint-hearted. Popular dishes include mutton saoji, gola-bhaath and pithla-bhaath, as well as thalipeeth and puran poli, a classic Maharashtrian sweet. 

Khandeshi cuisine, from north-western Maharashtra, is also known for its intense heat, thanks to the generous use of lavangi chillies. The soul of Khandeshi food is chutneys and thechas -- a spicy condiment made with green chillies, garlic, and coconut powder.

Signature dishes include Khandeshi mutton cooked with black masala, ghotleli bhaaji (a mashed brinjal dish), shev bhaji (curry or sabzi made from savoury snack shev), wangi bharli or stuffed brinjal made with Khandeshi masalas.

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The cuisine of the Desh region, associated with the Deccan plateau, largely features bhakri (a flatbread made from rice flour, jowar, or other millets) served with spicy vegetables, accompanied by rice and dal. Pithla-bhakri – a spicy gram flour curry served with flatbread is a rustic meal popular with people visiting the hills for trekking and seeing forts. 

A distinct feature of Desh cuisine is the use of peanut in gravies, unlike the Konkan region which uses coconut.

Kolhapur, known for its royalty-inspired non-veg Maharashtrian dishes, also forms part of the Desh region.

The coastal Konkan region is influenced by a mix of Goan, Saraswat, and Gaud Brahmin cuisines. Nestled between the Arabian Sea and the Sahyadri hills, this picturesque area offers a rich array of foods. 

Seafoods such as prawns, crabs, and fish, along with coconut and local spices, form the core ingredients of Konkan cuisine. While Konkani food is often linked to its fish dishes, the vegetarian options are equally flavorful. Some of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes include bombil or Bombay Duck, patholi (a sweet rice dumpling steamed in turmeric leaves), bharli vangi (stuffed eggplants), kolombo (Konkani sambhar), and kadamb (idli steamed in turmeric leaves).

The Malvan area, located in southern Konkan, boasts a distinct culinary tradition.Two popular dishes from this region are kombadi vade (traditional chicken curry, served with vade, onions etc.), and sol kadhi (a kokum-based appetizer). As Maharashtra celebrates the arrival of the Elephant God on Ganesh Chaturthi and his immersion on Ananth Chaturdashi, it’s time to celebrate the state’s vast and varied cuisine too.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture.)

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