Goa Bans Gobi Manchurian From Street Stalls As Municipal Council Worries About 'Synthetic Colors And Hygiene'

Gobi Manchurian, a vegetarian alternative to chicken manchurian, has sparked culinary battles in Goa. The fusion dish has been the source of a cultural conflict between local eating tastes and its widespread popularity.

Why did the Municipal Council ban Gobi Manchurian in Goa?

The Mapusa Municipal Council in Goa prohibited the meal from stalls and feasts due to worries about synthetic colors and hygiene | Image: Pexels

The Mapusa Municipal Council in Goa prohibited the meal from stalls and feasts due to worries about synthetic colors and hygiene. The situation occurred after Mapusa councillor Tarak Arolkar proposed in late January that the meal be prohibited, to which the council promptly agreed and relegated the popular dish to the culinary garbage.

While gobi manchurian is a popular dish in India, Goans despise it. Their disdain for the food stems from a variety of factors, including poor cleanliness, synthetic colours, questionable sauces, and even the usage of a laundry powder.?

What does the council have to say?

Gobi manchurian is now banned in Goa | Image: Pexels

Priya Mishra, chairperson of the Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC), stated that the meal was banned due to unsanitary circumstances and the usage of synthetic colours. "The councillors opined that such vendors operate in unhygienic conditions and use synthetic colours for making gobi manchurian and that is what has prompted us to ban the sale of this dish," Mishra was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

She added that traders were warned not to offer gobi manchurian.?

How is Gobi Manchurian prepared in Goa leading to its ban?

While the MMC chairperson stated that the meal was in culinary purgatory owing to unsanitary methods and the use of synthetic colors, a food safety officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that the vendors used poor sauces that are considered detrimental to eating.?

Sellers maintain high-quality sauce on display but use low-quality sauce for dish preparation | Image: Flickr

He stated that sellers maintain high-quality sauce on display but use low-quality sauce for dish preparation, and that they also use a powder in the batter in addition to flour and cornstarch to keep the cauliflower florets crunchy for longer periods of time.

The officer explained that this powder is a type of reetha that is used to wash garments. "Have you ever pondered why you pay Rs 70-100 each dish in restaurants and Rs 30-40 at zatras? It's because of this," the officer explained.?

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