Food Emblems that Define a City - Mumbai Vada Pav

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Image Courtesy: Times of India

A few cities have a food or a snack which defines the city and what it stands for, for example if one was playing guessing games and if 'Vada Pav" was mentioned, nine out of 10 times the person guessing would say 'Mumbai' as is 'Croissant' for 'Paris' and perhaps 'Roll' for 'Kolkata'. There may be others as well like 'Idly' for 'Chennai', 'Bagel' for 'New York' and so on.

Mumbai is an ever-growing city which is bursting at it's seams and has about twenty million people, the city has a frenetic pace and people are always spending time traveling from here to there. Local trains are the lifeline of this city and people (seven million daily) spend a significant amount of time on trains, they form friendships, save seats for special people (if they can), do their vegetable shopping and cutting in the train to save time so that when they reach home, what was chopped can be washed and cooked. Those sitting could also knit or sew or read or chat or look at their mobiles or look out of the window., those standing are mostly protecting their wallets and phones and hanging on for dear life. In such a city people do not have time for complicated snacks, they need something that is quick, clean, wont spill and fits the "grab and go" parameter and the ubiquitous 'Vada Pav' meets this challenge upfront. The 'Vada Pav' is literally everywhere, it can serve as a breakfast, a quick lunch or an evening snack, pair it with cola and one is done for the day. burps aside! The history of 'Vada Pav is a unique one which is a mix of politics and identity.

The 'Pav' deserves its own story as it is a vital element of Mumbai cuisine, it was brought to India by the Portuguese when they landed in Western India and is now a part of a wide array of street foods like 'Pav Bhaji', 'Dabeli', 'Samosa Pav', 'Misal Pav', 'Usal Pav and the Irani 'Keema Pav''. Bakers take stacks of fresh 'Pav' on their bicycles and deliver door to door every morning or evening, these small squarish breads are firm outside and fluffy and soft inside and are often substituted at home for the cereal to go along with vegetables and gravies.

The 'Vada' is made with the humble potato, which is boiled and mashed with a blend of spices and then dipped into a thick batter made with chickpea flour and deep fried, if one is lucky, then the freshly fried crunchy 'Vada' is placed inside the 'Pav' which is smeared with a red sprinkling (made of garlic, peanuts, chillies and coconut) on one side and a green paste (coriander, green chili and tamarind) on the other and pressed shut and handed over on a disposable paper / plate with a fried green chili. If one is unlucky, the 'Vada is cold and has turned soggy and this definitely tastes sad, however it can be rescued if put in the air fryer for 5 minutes if eating at home. The combination of bread and potato helps to keep the price affordable, and it is a fast-moving snack so finding a stale or rotten 'Vada' might prove to be quite difficult. 

There are literally a million variations of this snack as each vendor will have their own special blend and a twist to keep people hooked, personally I have no favourites but I do remember a stall near Sion station (open only in evenings) which had the most tastiest 'Vada Pavs'- perhaps I was just hungry and it tasted  like heaven, the experts recommend some over the others and you can find them here.

People who have lived in Mumbai perhaps miss this snack the most as it encapsulates the essence of the city and when craving for comfort, try to find alternatives (if possible) in their cities but I am sure it never really tastes the same without Mumbai's energy, 

Coming up Next: Food Emblems that Define a City - Kolkata Rolls

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