We all love a good plate of pav bhaji that comes with dollops of butter melting on the dish, don't we? But we're pretty sure you didn't know about the origin of this majestic dish that has become so famous that it is synonymous with the city of Mumbai.
So, basically, the Portuguese got us the most important ingredient needed to make pav bhaji, namely, the pav!?Pav gets its name from one quarter in a section of four, which is how the bun is usually baked. Well, later, the Portuguese handed over Bombay to the British in dowry when Princess?Catherine D Bragenza was married to British Prince Charles II.
Indiatimes/India On A Plate
However, they just brought us the pav but how did pav bhaji gain all this fame?
Given that India was introduced to potatoes only 500 years back and that Indians thought tomatoes were poisonous well into the 1800s, the fact that dish is today a favourite of all people across India is nothing short of a miracle and one we're glad about.
Indiatimes/India On A Plate
So, when the American Civil War was going on, the British didn't have a stable supply of cotton because of the disruption in America. Hence, they came to India looking for it. The mills started getting huge orders and the workers would often have to work late into the night. And to keep the workers fed, vendors would be found outside these mills selling plates of pav bhaji. The bhaji was essentially made from leftover vegetables and cooked with tomatoes and potatoes. As the number of mills grew, they started spreading across Mumbai and well, the pav bhaji became not just a street food item but the friend who kept the workers company late into the night.
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Today, we've got different versions of it all over India. The South Indians like to add curry leaves to it and the North Indians give it a twist with rajmah but all in all, a plate of pav bhaji is soothing not just to the palette but to the soul.
Hear all about the history of our favourite street food from Indiatimes and Kubra Sait as we trace the origins of our favourite dish: