Street food of Mumbai

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Street food in Mumbai. Indian folk Cuisine Images (221).jpg
Street food in Mumbai.

Street food of Mumbai is the food sold by hawkers from portable market stalls in Mumbai. It is one of the characteristics of the city. [1] The city is known for its distinctive street foods. [2] Although street food is common all over India, street food in Mumbai is noted because people from all economic classes eat on the roadside almost round the clock and it is sometimes felt that the taste of street food is better than restaurants in the city. [3] [4] [5] Many Mumbaikars like a small snack on the road in the evening. [6] People of Mumbai cutting across barriers of class, religion, gender and ethnicity are passionate about street food. [7] Street food vendors are credited by some for developing the city's food culture. [8] Street food in Mumbai is relatively inexpensive as compared to restaurants and vendors tend to be clustered around crowded areas such as colleges and railway stations. [3]

Contents

Variety

A street vendor prepares Bhelpuri in Mumbai, Maharashtra Indian cuisine-Chaat-Bhelpuri-01.jpg
A street vendor prepares Bhelpuri in Mumbai, Maharashtra
Pav bhaji Pav Bhaji at Home.JPG
Pav bhaji
Mumbai Vada Pav, the most popular Mumbai food Mumbai Vada Pav.jpg
Mumbai Vada Pav, the most popular Mumbai food
Vada pav Vada Pav.jpg
Vada pav

Mumbai being the capital (and the largest urban area) of Maharashtra is dominated by Maharashtrian food. Vada pav is noted as the most popular street food in Mumbai. [9] [10] A sandwich form of Eggs Kejriwal is a common snack or breakfast street food. [11] [12] [13] Other noted street foods in Mumbai include Dabeli panipuri, bhelpuri, sevpuri, dahipuri, sandwiches, ragda-pattice, pav bhaji, Chinese bhel, Khaman, Dhokla, idlis and dosas, all of which are vegetarian.

In terms of non-vegetarian offerings, omelette-pav, kebabs and fish are found on Mumbai streets. [5] The amount of variety of street food is attributed to the cosmopolitan culture of the city. [14] In the 1980s, Indianised Chinese food was an emerging trend on Mumbai streets. [15] Other popular street food items include Misal pav (spicy curry made of sprouted moth beans which is eaten with paav, Indian bread roll typically a bun), and vegetable frankie (a popular and cheaper version of wraps and rolls). [16]

Kulfi (frozen dairy dessert similar to ice cream) and golah (Indian snow cone sometimes served on a stick) are among the desserts and coolants found on Mumbai streets. [17]

Apart from snacks, Mumbai has several juice and milkshake bars on the roadside that offer a variety of juices and milkshakes. [2] Fresh Sugarcane juice vendors are synonymous with Mumbai roads and offer a cheap form of refreshment. [18] [19] Tea vendors cycle around the city, selling the beverage hot on the streets. Street vendors normally remain unaffected by general strike calls and do business all year around. [20] Paan, a betel leaf preparation eaten as a mouth freshener post meals in India [21] is also sold at Mumbai's roadside stalls. [22]

Areas and spread

Lanes with a sizable cluster of street food stalls are known as Khau Galli locally which mean 'Food Alley' in Marathi. [23] Girgaum Chowpatty beach is noted for its Bhelpuri and kulfi. [24] [25] Street vendors at Nariman Point, one of the city's financial hubs, do brisk business during the lunch hour. [26]

Mumbai's street food has made its way into kitchens of restaurants in the city, including five star hotels. [3] [27] [28] In fact, restaurants in various parts of the world have incorporated Mumbai's street food into their menu cards. [24] [29] Homegrown fast food companies that serve street food in Mumbai have been launched in recent years. [30] Despite the many pros and cons of street food, [31] it forms a daily diet of many office goers and college students in the city.

Controversies

Some people avoid street food because of hygiene issues, however the larger public, irrespective of class enjoy Mumbai's street food. [27] Restaurants and hotels have capitalised on this phenomenon by offering street food to their clientele. [28] A large number of hawkers trade illegally, without mandatory permits from the local municipality, by bribing officials. [1] [32] Drives to evict hawkers are regularly held, though the hawkers return after a short period of time. [33] Equipment and other goods seized from illegal hawkers are returned by the municipality after the hawker pays a fine. [34] In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in a case against illegal hawking by asking the municipality to demarcate 230 areas in the city as legal hawking zones, a number that was later increased to 1700 areas; this is still to be implemented. [35] A news report in 2009 claimed that no hawking licenses had been issued in Mumbai for 20 years and that out of the estimated 250,000 hawkers in the city only about 17,000 had a valid license. [36]

A controversy emerged in 2011, when a panipuri vendor from Thane was filmed urinating into a container that was also used to serve the customers. The event led to a public uproar and a major political drama in the city; [37] Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena members again attacked North Indians, targeting the Panipuri and Bhelpuri sellers of Mumbai and Thane. [38] The vendor concerned was arrested by the police and taken to court, which fined him and thereafter let him off with a warning. [39] After action against all panipuri vendors across the city by political parties, the vendor in question, who himself was in the business for 15 years, chose to give up the trade altogether and take up a job with a private security agency. [40]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vada pav</span> Indian fast food item

Vada pav, alternatively spelt wada pao, is a vegetarian fast food dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. The dish consists of a deep fried potato dumpling placed inside a bread bun (pav) sliced almost in half through the middle. It is generally accompanied with one or more chutneys and a green chili pepper. Although it originated as an affordable street food in Mumbai, it is now served in food stalls and restaurants across India. It is also called Bombay burger in keeping with its origins and its resemblance in physical form to a burger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhel puri</span> Indian snack

Bhelpuri is a savoury snack originally from India, and is also a type of chaat. It is made of puffed rice, vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce, and has a crunchy texture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombay mix</span> Savory Indian snack food

Bombay mix or chanachur is an Indian snack mix (namkeen) which consists of a variable mixture of spicy dried ingredients, such as fried lentils, peanuts, chickpeas, chickpea flour ganthiya, corn, vegetable oil, puffed rice, fried onion and curry leaves. This is all flavored with salt and a blend of spices that may include coriander and mustard seeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panipuri</span> Indian snack food

Pani puri is a deep-fried breaded sphere filled with potato, onion, or chickpea. It is a common street food in the Indian subcontinent. It is often spiced with tamarind chutney, chili powder, or chaat masala. A Bengali variant, fuchka, uses spiced mashed potatoes as the filling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker (trade)</span> Street Vendor

A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationary or mobile, hawkers often advertise by loud street cries or chants, and conduct banter with customers, to attract attention and enhance sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mumbai culture</span>

A resident of Mumbai is called a Mumbaikar. People prefer to stay close to a railway station for easy access to the metropolis. Many city-dwellers lead a fast-paced life with very little time for other activities owing to a significant amount of time spent on daily commuting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street food</span> Ready-to-eat food or drink on a street

Street food refers to food or drinks sold by a hawker or vendor on a street or at other public places, such as markets, fairs, and parks. It is often sold from a portable food booth, food cart, or food truck and is meant for immediate consumption. Some street foods are regional, but many have spread beyond their regions of origin. Most street foods are classified as both finger food and fast food and are typically cheaper than restaurant meals. The types of street food vary between regions and cultures in different countries around the world. According to a 2007 study from the Food and Agriculture Organization, 2.5 billion people eat street food every day. While some cultures consider it to be rude to walk on the street while eating, a majority of middle- to high-income consumers rely on the quick access and cheap service of street food for daily nutrition and job opportunities, especially in developing countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chaat</span> Savory Indian-originated snack

Chaat, or chāt is a family of savoury snacks that originated in India, typically served as an hors d'oeuvre or at roadside tracks from stalls or food carts across South Asia in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. With its origins in Uttar Pradesh, India, chaat has become immensely popular in the rest of South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puri (food)</span> Food

Puri, also poori, is a type of deep-fried bread, made from unleavened whole-wheat flour, originated from the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pav bhaji</span> Thick vegetable curry based savory dish in India

Pav bhaji is a street food dish from India consisting of a thick vegetable curry (bhaji) served with a soft bread roll (pav). It originated in the city of Mumbai.

Maharashtrian or Marathicuisine is the cuisine of the Marathi people from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It has distinctive attributes, while sharing much with other Indian cuisines. Traditionally, Maharashtrians have considered their food to be more austere than others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dahi puri</span> Indian food

Dahi puri is an Indian snack food which is especially popular in the state of Maharashtra. The dish is a type of chaat and originates from the city of Mumbai. It is served with mini-puri shells (golgappa), which are also used for the dish pani puri. Dahi puri and pani puri chaats are often sold by the same vendor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bun kebab</span> Sandwich originating in Pakistan

Bun kebab or anda shami is a sandwich that originated in Pakistan, but is now popular all throughout the Indian subcontinent. Bun kebabs are a signature in Pakistani metro cities like Karachi and Lahore, but they can be found all over Pakistan. Bun Kebab vendors are scattered all across Karachi, vendors on Burns Road being particularly famous, and imitated by frozen bun kebabs sold in South Asian supermarkets across the world. In India, it is eaten as a regular street food, specifically, in the Indian cities of Bhopal, Lucknow, and Hyderabad; it is especially popular with Indian Muslims, the dish is eaten late-night during Ramadan. Bun kebabs are usually sold from roadside stalls, side street vendors, and fast food restaurants. They are also commonly known as anday wala burger. A ‘fried’ version of the bun kebab is popular in Lahore, known as ‘bun plaster’ due to copious amounts of butter and super tender or paste-like kebab mixture used in it. Bun kebabs are usually eaten as a main course or snack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional street food</span>

Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sev puri</span> Indian snack food

Sev puri is an Indian snack and a type of chaat. It is a speciality that originates from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. In Pune and Mumbai, sev puri is strongly associated with street food, but is also served at upscale locations. Recently, supermarkets have started stocking ready-to-eat packets of sev puri and similar snacks like bhelpuri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jumbo King</span> Indian fast-food restaurant chain

Jumboking is an Indian vegetarian burger quick service restaurant chain. Established on 23rd August 2001 by Dheeraj Gupta, Founder and MD of Jumboking and Reeta Gupta, the Co-founder, the company got inspired by the fast food business model of McDonald's and Burger King. The chain has more than 145 outlets in major Indian cities such as Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune. The company has delivery tie-ups with Swiggy and Zomato to service out-of-store orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street food of Chennai</span> Food sold by street vendors in Chennai, India

Street food, as in other areas of India, are popular in Chennai, despite the common belief in India that street food is unhealthy. The idly sambhar is a popular dish, which is served as breakfast or dinner. Apart from regular South Indian street food, the city's streets are also filled with several North Indian street food outlets, most of them established by North Indian migrants themselves. Gujarati and Burmese are also available. Street food in Chennai is so popular that a game had developed based on the TV show The Amazing Race where contestants have to follow clues to street-food spots in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masala puri</span> Indian snack

Masala puri, or Masalpuri, is an Indian snack which is especially popular in the southern state of Karnataka. A form of chaat, the dish originated in the Indian state of Karnataka and has now become famous in the entire Indian subcontinent. Typically spicy, the dish can also be made sweet based on the requirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Street food of Kolkata</span> Food sold by street vendors in Kolkata, India

Street food of Kolkata is the food sold by hawkers and street vendors from portable market stalls in the streets of Kolkata, India. It is one of the major characteristics of the city, which makes Kolkata the "City of Joy". Kolkata's street foods include Indian street food as well as Chinese, Mughlai, British, and even European foods.

References

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  2. 1 2 Abram, David (2004). Goa. Rough Guides. p. 267. ISBN   1843530813.
  3. 1 2 3 "Snack Attack, Mumbai. Eating Safe Street Food". The New York Times . 16 January 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Dalal, Tarla (2010). Mumbai Roadside Snacks. Sanjay & Co. p. 3. ISBN   8189491660.
  5. 1 2 "Get set for a taste of real Mumbai". Daily News and Analysis . 31 January 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  6. ↑ "Mumbai street food: What's a Japanese sous chef got to do with it?". CNN . 7 August 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  7. ↑ Anjaria, Jonathan Shapiro (2008). Unruly streets: Everyday practices and promises of globality in Mumbai. ProQuest. p. 2. ISBN   0549763872.
  8. ↑ "Masterchef hits streets". Deccan Chronicle . 19 November 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Jumbo King tries a McDonald's with vada pav - 10,000 a day & counting". The Telegraph . 11 July 2004. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "The king of Bombay's street food: Wada pav". Daily News and Analysis . 19 April 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  11. ↑ Menon, Smitha (11 March 2023). "Bread, Egg, Cheese, Chile—That's Your Ingredient List". Bon Appétit . Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  12. ↑ "Eggs Kejriwal: Would you like to try Mumbai's 'fancy egg breakfast'?". The Indian Express . 19 April 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  13. ↑ Razak, Ayesha (15 August 2019). "Eggs Kejriwal - Indian breakfast". Good Housekeeping . Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Street food reflects city's cosmopolitan culture". Daily News and Analysis . 28 July 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  15. ↑ "India gets a taste for Chinese". Asia Times . 30 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ↑ "Mumbai's yummy street food". The Free Press Journal . 26 April 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "Bombay cafe makes a bang in London". The Boston Globe . 29 December 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  18. ↑ "Chop sticks". Mid-Day . 7 January 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  19. ↑ "Chilled sugarcane chunks are perfect antidote to hot summer days". The Economic Times . 15 May 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  20. ↑ "All in the search of food". Moneylife Magazine. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  21. ↑ "Paan-tastic, your mouth freshner". Daily News and Analysis . 12 June 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  22. ↑ "Khaike paan Benaraswala". Daily News and Analysis . 13 May 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "Traffic Park as entertainment avenue and khau galli. Why not?". The Times of India . 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  24. 1 2 "Bhel puri". Toronto Star . 3 May 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  25. ↑ "Chowpatty's kulfi travels to the US". The Economic Times . 23 August 2006. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  26. ↑ Bindloss, Joseph (2006). Best of Mumbai . Lonely Planet. p.  49. ISBN   1741047374.
  27. 1 2 "Street food, hot and healthy!". Daily News and Analysis . 4 August 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  28. 1 2 "Street food burps to top of 5-star chaats". The Times of India . 6 September 2003. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  29. ↑ "Indian street food is worth seeking out". Charlotte Observer . 27 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  30. ↑ "Mumbai takes on McDonald's with veggie street food". Asiaone.com. 22 September 2008. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  31. ↑ "Pros and Cons of Street Food". www.localpress.in. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  32. ↑ "Only 34 FIRs on illegal hawkers in 3 years". The Times of India . 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  33. ↑ "BMC will soon swoop down on illegal hawkers". The Indian Express . 18 July 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  34. ↑ "BMC steps up action against illegal hawkers". The Times of India . 6 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  35. ↑ "'Stop the excuses, enforce SC order'". The Times of India . 23 November 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  36. ↑ "Hawker shocker". Mumbai Mirror . 16 December 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  37. ↑ "Sena-BJP split ways over pani puri waalas". MiD DAY . 19 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  38. ↑ "Pani puri scandal: MNS attacks vendors for urinating in serving vessels". Sify . 15 March 2011. Archived from the original on 17 April 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  39. ↑ "Do not say you weren't warned". Mumbai Mirror . 13 April 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  40. ↑ "Most famous paani puri walla quits to become a watchman". Mumbai Mirror . 22 April 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
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