Maharashtrians consider anna, or food equals to
Brahma, the creator of the universe. Maharashtrians believe in offering
their food first to the God as a thanksgiving. Especially on festive
occasions, specific mithais (sweets) are offered such as ukadiche modak
(Ganesh Chaturthi) and satyanarayan puja sheera.
Maharashtrian cuisine has two major styles - Konkan and Varadi. A major
portion of Maharashtra, which lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea, is
called the Konkan having its own Konkani cuisine, which is a combination
of Malvani, Gaud Saraswat Brahmin and Goan cuisines. The cuisine for the
interior Maharashtra or the Vidarbha area is called Varadi cuisine.
Maharashtrian cuisine is packed with the subtly flavoured vegetarian
delicacies and hot aromatic meat and fish curries, while the crunchy,
crisp sweets are made mostly from rice and jiggery are also their
favourite. The Konkan food has a lot of coconut in it and strong in
masalas, red chillies and coriander.
The spicy Kolhapuri food emphasizes on mutton. The food of the Vidarbha
region is prepared strong in red chillie powder and garlic. Mumbai has
its own pot-pourri of dishes like vada pav, misal and pav bhaji, which
are immensely popular across India.
Konkan Cuisine
Konkan cuisine is strong in spice, red chillie powder, corianders, and prepared with coconut oil. It is prepared using a deep purple berry that has a pleasing sweet and sour taste, kokum and raw mango as souring agents along with tamarind and lime.
Maharashtrian Cuisine
Maharashtrian cuisine is of two kinds - Konkani and Varadi. Despite its difference in style of preparation, both the style use lot of seafood and coconut. Peanut oil is the main cooking medium, and grated coconuts, peanuts and cashew nuts are widely used in vegetarian dishes.
Mumbai Chaat
Mumbai has people with different working in different economy levels. Thousands of working families live on the diets prepared at street vendors. The most encouraging thing is these vendors even level with the taste of the expensive restaurants up to some extent.
Marathi food boasts of a number of delectable
cuisines. Know more about food and cuisine of Maharashtra.