Maharashtra cuisine

notes for second year bsc hotel management students

1. MARATHI CUISINE IHM NSK NOTES 1

2. SPECIALITIES IHM NSK NOTES 2 Marathi foods uses lot of fish and coconut. There is enormous variety of vegetables in their regular diet. Grated coconut is used in many kind, but coconut oil is not very widely used as a cooking medium. Peanut and cashew nuts are widely used in vegetables. Peanut oil is the main cooking medium. They eat both rice and wheat.

3. IHM NSK NOTES 3 Among seafood, the most popular fish is bombil or the Bombay duck, which is normally served batter fried and crisp. All non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes are eaten with boiled rice or with bhakris , which are soft rotis made of rice flour. Special rice puris called vada and amboli , which is a pancake made of fermented rice, urad dal , and semolina, are also eaten as a part of the main meal.

4. IHM NSK NOTES 4 In the vegetarian fare, the most popular vegetables are brinjals . A popular style of cooking brinjals is bharlivangi or baby brinjals stuffed with coconut. Maharashtrian fare is incomplete without papads , which are eaten roasted or fried. The most popular desserts of Maharashtra are the puran poli , which is roti stuffed with a sweet mixture of jaggery and gram flour, and shreekhand , which is sweetened curd flavored with cardamom and saffron.

5. By regions of Maharashtra IHM NSK NOTES 5 The people are known for the aesthetic presentation of food, which adds extra allure to the feasts. For instance, in formal meals, it is a practice to sing sacred verses to dedicate the meal to God. The guests sit on floor rugs or red wooden seats and eat from silver or metal thalis and bowls placed on a raised ' chowrang ', or a short decorative table. Rangolis or auspicious patterns of coloured powder are drawn around the thali or the chowrang .

6. IHM NSK NOTES 6 To avoid mixing flavours , each guest is given a bowl of saffron scented water to dip the fingers in before starting on the next course. There is a specific order of serving of savouries and sweets, curries and rice or rotis , and a person who does not know this is not considered to be well trained in the art of hospitality. Agarbattis spread fragrance everywhere and the host believes the satisfaction of his guests to be his true joy.

7. IHM NSK NOTES 7 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. Grated coconuts spice many kinds of dishes, but coconut oil is not very widely used as a cooking medium. Peanuts and cashewnuts are widely used in vegetables and peanut oil is the main cooking medium. Another feature is the use of kokum, a deep purple berry that has a pleasing sweet and sour taste. Kokum, most commonly used in an appetizer-digestive called the sol kadhi , is served chilled.

8. REGIONS IHM NSK NOTES 8 VIDHARBHA KHOLAPUR MARATHWADA WESTERN GHATS KONKON

9. Konkan IHM NSK NOTES 9 The traditional crops of the Konkan region, the West coast of Maharashtra, are coconuts, mangoes, cashews, rice and a variety of pulses. The region also grows a great quantity of kokum, a sweet-sour fruit. Fish is available in vast varieties and seafood is in abundant supply. All these ingredients find place in the traditional and exotic Konkani food. Be it the mild, naturally fragrant vegetable mixture served with local papads , or a spicy-hot fish and meat curry with a coconut milk base, Konkani food is a gourmet's dream come true.

10. KONKAN IHM NSK NOTES 10 Konkan is situated at the southern tip of the western coast. Kholapur and Ratangiri are some of the important cities which comes under Konkan . Cookery of this region shows an influence of Karnataka as they use lot of coconut in their dishes, so coconut act as an important ingredient. They use kokum instead of tamarind to impart a tangy flavor. They like both vegetarian and non vegetarian food.

11. IHM NSK NOTES 11 The climate of konkan is favorable for the growth of fruits also, the most important and famous being the alphonso mango. The other fruits are jack fruit, coconut, betel nuts, cashew nuts and kokum. The main occupation of the people is agriculture. Rice is grown in large scale, it is the staple food of this region. They eat rice, bhakri made out of rice, dhal, sprouted pulses and vegetables. Coconut is also used in lot of dishes.

12. IHM NSK NOTES 12 Ratangiri a district in Maharashtra has the distinction of producing the best mango in the entire world, called ALPHONSO or APUS. The meal is eaten in large metal plates called TAATS , most of the food is already on the plate in a very special changing order. TAATS contain one or more small katories called VATI for gravies and dessert. Each item has a designated place on the plate like number on the clock. The left side is for seasoning, relish and savories, the right side is for vegetables, split peas and sweets.

13. IHM NSK NOTES 13 Cash crops such as sugar cane, cotton and tobacco and oil seeds such as ground nuts, sesame seeds, sun flower, safflower and jowar are grown on a large scale. Dairy and animal husbandry are the other important occupation of the people. The meal is a well balanced diet of grains, pulses, vegetables and milk products.

14. IHM NSK NOTES 14 The konkani curries are based on the two basic masalas pastes they are… RASGOLI- made from fresh coconut and variety of spices. Bhajana – made from the paste of stronger spices with roasted coconut and onions. The former is used for fish curries and later is used for meat and chicken curries. Both can also be used for the vegetable curries.

15. Kolhapur IHM NSK NOTES 15 Kolhapur is as famous for its spicy mutton curries as its Mahalaxmi temple or palaces. Popularly called ' Matnacha rassa ', red-hot mutton dish is served with robust chappatis , a white gravy to dilute its pungency or a chilli gravy for the bravehearts experts in the art of digesting pure fire. Kolhapuri misal is one of the spiciest dish. It is very famous in Maharashtra

16. Kolhapur IHM NSK NOTES 16 Situated in the south eastern part of Maharashtra. People of Kolhapur like spicy foods with lot of chilies. Due to the preference of non vegetarian, the meat cookery is highly developed in this region. Most people are in the farming business- with sugar cane, rice, pulses, fruits and vegetables. It is famous for meat curries called RASSA, a red hot meat curry served with chapattis. PANDHARA RASSA white gravy are also famous in these region.

17. South Maharashtra IHM NSK NOTES 17 This region is rich in sugarcane fields, rice farms and milk. Well-irrigated farms produce plump, juicy fruit and vegetables throughout the year. In the winter months, southern Maharashtra becomes a crucible of bubbling sugarcane juice, heated to make jaggery and sugar. This season offers a feast of coconut kernels cooked in the syrup and eaten with peanuts and fresh chana .

18. IHM NSK NOTES 18 Winter also means plenty of milk, and typical milk sweets like basundi , masala milk, shreekhand and kheer . It is a social event in these areas to go to the riverbank for a picnic or row down the river to eat young roasted corncobs ( hurda ) with pungent chillies and green garlic ground to make a tongue-scorching chutney. Milk, nuts, rough bhakaris of jawar , hot meat curries and chilli -spiked snacks are favourite foods here.

19. Vidarbha IHM NSK NOTES 19 Though the Konkan strip and southern Maharashtra have their own excellent cuisine, nothing can beat the exoticism and variety of the food offered by northern Maharashtra - Vidarbha and Khandesh . The central Indian plateau is not as lush as the coast; therefore, coconuts and mangoes do not grow here. But Vidarbha is rich in peanuts, rice and, most of all, citrus fruit, like oranges and sweetlimes . In the winter, lorry-loads of oranges criss -cross the highways, taking mountains of juicy tangerines all over the state. Vidarbha's cuisine is usually spicier than that of the coastal and southern regions. The ingredients commonly used are besan , or chickpea flour, and ground peanuts.

20. VIDHARBHA IHM NSK NOTES 20 Includes the winter capital Nagpur and other major cities. Best quality oranges comes from Nagpur. Most of the population in the region are vegetarians, food with mild flavor. Jalgaon is famous for bananas. Rich in peanuts, rice and most of all citrus fruits like oranges and sweet limes. The cuisine is spicy and the ingredients commonly used are besan or chickpea flour and ground peanuts.

21. Nagpur IHM NSK NOTES 21 The city of Nagpur inherits a glorious history and varied rich cultural influences and has burgeoned in recent times as a gourmet city. There are unusual snacks, curries, pulaos and sweets to pamper avid eaters. The food is generally spicy, with a good amount of ghee, and peanuts, dried copra and dal are often the basis of the flavours . Nagpur is also famous for its spicy non- veg preparations known as Saoji preparations, that are generally made by using clove-pepper paste instead of red chilly powder.

22. Pune IHM NSK NOTES 22 Home to the Peshwas and marathas , Pune is a historic city. The food of these communities is delicate, sparsely designed and entirely vegetarian. Puneri misal , thalipeeth , puri bhaji and dalimbi usal are not only tasty and nutritious, but inexpensive to make. These foods are available at traditional restaurants in Pune and Mumbai .

23. Aurangabad IHM NSK NOTES 23 The cuisine of Auguranbad has been highly influenced by the North Indian method of cooking, as a result of the long Moghul rule in the region. Aurangabad's food is much like Moghlai or Hyderabadi food, with its fragrant pulaos and biryanis . Meat cooked in fresh spices and herbs is a speciality , as are the delectable sweets.

24. WESTERN GHATS IHM NSK NOTES 24 Situated at the north west coast line along the Arabian sea. The major cities are Mumbai, Nasik, Pune etc. The people of this region show their preference towards moderately spiced food. Fish and other sea foods are popular. Bombil is a variety of dried fish which is very popular. The western ghats are the birth place of Indian fast foods like vada pav , pav bhaji etc.. Nashik is famous for the grapes.

25. MARATHWADA IHM NSK NOTES 25 Situated at the eastern part just below Vidharbha . People of Marathwada like spicy foods, like kholapur . They use lot of chilies and garlic in their dish. It is also famous for the home made pickles and chutneys.

26. IHM NSK NOTES 26 Special bhath – masale bhath . Poli / pori Amti Batata bhaji Gravied whole lentil – usal Chutney and pickle Koshimbir Papad / bhaji Plain / spiced butter milk Sweet dish – kheers

27. IHM NSK NOTES 27

28. Typical thali IHM NSK NOTES 28 PURAN POLI

29. SIGNATURE DISHES IHM NSK NOTES 29 Komdi cha rassa Chicken pieces cooked in onion,coconut , poppy seed paste,flavored with pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, somph , ginger and garlic. Pandhra rassa Besan ladoo Coconut poli / puran poli Amti Masalyachi wangi Panchamrut

30. IHM NSK NOTES 30 Saars : they are not exactly soup, however soupy and are eaten in Maharashtra with Indian bread. They are served in small individual bowls. Koshimbirs : they are simple every day relishes that are served with most meals.

31. IHM NSK NOTES 31 Mutton kholapur : Batata bhaji : potatoes cooked with cumin seeds, curry leaves, lime juice and a touch of sugar and coconut flavored with Maharashtra famous masala called KALA MASALA

32. IHM NSK NOTES 32 Cinnamon Cardamom Cumin Sesame seeds Copra (blackened coconut) Roast and ground all the above spices and store it in a air tight container.

33. Indian snack known as chiwda, chevdo, or chevda IHM NSK NOTES 33

34. Shira IHM NSK NOTES 34

35. Vada pav is a popular vegetarian fast food dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. It consists of a batata vada sandwiched between two slices of a pav . The compound word batata vada refers In Marathi to a vada made out of batata , the latter referring to a potato. Both words batata and potato have their origin in Spanish patata . Pav refers to bread (or bun), the Marathi word having its origin in Portuguese pão . Vada pav was supposedly devised by snack vendor Ashok Vaidya outside Dadar station in 1971. IHM NSK NOTES 35

36. Festive Cuisine IHM NSK NOTES 36 Some of the festivals celebrated in Maharashtra are Gudi Padwa , Holi , Haritalika , Ganesh Chaturthi , Diwali and Makara Sankranti . There are many special dishes, mostly sweets are prepared exclusively during these festivals. On the occasion of Gudi Padwa Soonth Panak and sprouted Chana Usal are prepared. Puran Poli is prepared on the festival of colors Holi . Similarly, on Haritalika Coconut Potali is prepared, on Ganesh Chaturthi Karanji and Chakli , on Diwali Shankarpali , Badam Halwa , Chakli and Karanji are prepared and Shengdana Chikki is prepared on the occasion of Makar Sakranti .

37. Cuisine For Weddings IHM NSK NOTES 37 In India, marriages are a special occasion, held lavishly. Similarly, in Maharashtra it is held extravagantly, which includes inviting guests for an elaborate meal. Meal is served on a banana leaf and is entirely vegetarian in nature, cooked without onion and garlic. It has a range of vegetables along with coconut gravy, green mango chutney, cucumber and peanut salad, rice, puris , golden dal called ` varan ' and a sweet dish like jalebi . Apart from these there is also a creamy basundi or saffron-scented shrikhand . ` Mattha ' or coriander-flavored, salted buttermilk complements the meal which ends with a sweet ` paan ' called ` vida '.

38. Goda masala IHM NSK NOTES 38

39. Kala masala IHM NSK NOTES 39

40. IHM NSK NOTES 40