Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Indian · regional cuisine

Maharashtrian

Millet bhakri and peanut-and-sesame chutneys on the Deccan plateau, coconut, kokum and fish on the Konkan coast, Kolhapur's fiery mutton, and Mumbai's street food.

Flavour character: Goda masala's sweet, smoky depth; roasted dry coconut, peanut and sesame; a touch of jaggery against kokum or tamarind; very hot red masalas in Kolhapur and Malvan, green-chilli thecha on the Deccan.

33 recipes
A serving of Misal pav

History

Maharashtra's food reflects its regions: the coastal Konkan, the Desh plateau around Pune, Kolhapur in the south, Marathwada and Vidarbha in the east. The Maratha period and Pune's Brahmin households shaped a restrained, lightly sweet vegetarian style, while Kolhapur and Vidarbha became known for very hot meat cooking (Kolhapuri and Saoji). Mumbai's street food grew from its mill and port economy: vada pav is commonly credited to Ashok Vaidya near Dadar station in the 1960s, and pav bhaji to quick meals for textile and cotton-exchange workers; the pav itself came via Portuguese-influenced bakers.

Commonly told; not firmly documented

Geography and influences

A narrow rainy coastal strip (Konkan) below the Western Ghats, then the dry Deccan plateau inland, where jowar, bajra, pulses, groundnut and sugarcane are grown.

  • Maratha and Peshwa-era Pune
  • Konkan coastal communities (Malvani, Saraswat, Koli fishers)
  • Portuguese bread-making (pav)
  • Mumbai's migrant and Irani café culture

Regional variations

Konkan / Malvani
Coconut, kokum and fish: Malvani fish curry, sol kadhi, kombdi vade, rice bhakri.
Desh / Puneri
Lightly sweet vegetarian Brahmin food: varan bhaat, amti with goda masala, koshimbir.
Kolhapuri
Kanda-lasun masala, tambda rassa (red) and pandhra rassa (white) mutton broths, misal.
Vidarbha / Varhadi and Saoji
Very hot Nagpur-area cooking: Saoji mutton and chicken, patodi rassa.
Mumbai
Street food built on pav: vada pav, pav bhaji, misal pav, plus Irani cafés and Parsi food.

Festive and seasonal food

  • Ganesh Chaturthi: ukadiche modak (steamed rice-flour dumplings with coconut and jaggery)
  • Gudi Padwa (new year): shrikhand-puri and a neem-jaggery mixture
  • Holi: puran poli
  • Makar Sankranti: tilgul (sesame-jaggery sweets)
  • Diwali faral: chakli, karanji, shankarpali, chivda, besan ladoo, anarsa

Signature dishes

Not on the site yet: Ukadiche modak, Sabudana khichdi, Varan bhaat, Amti, Zunka bhakri, Shrikhand, Bombil fry, Kombdi vade, Saoji mutton, Basundi, Aamras

Maharashtrian recipes

21 more