Vada pav


Vada pav, alternatively spelt vada pao, wada pav, or wada pao, is a vegetarian fast food dish native to the state of Maharashtra. The dish consists of a deep fried potato dumpling placed inside a bread bun sliced almost in half through the middle. It is generally accompanied with one or more chutneys and a green chilli pepper. Although it originated as cheap street food in Mumbai, it is now served in food stalls and restaurants across India. It is also called Bombay burger in keeping with its origins and its resemblance in physical form to a.

Etymology

Batata vada in Marathi literally means "potato fritter". It is a combination of the word for "potato" and vada, a type of fried savoury snack. Pav is a derivative of the Portuguese word pão, which means bread.

Variation

Variant of vada pav is Pav vada famous in Nashik as street food. Pav vada is tempered mashed potato is filled in pav and dipped into gram flour batter and deep fried, eaten with chutney and chilly.

Preparation

Boiled potato is mashed and mixed with chopped green chilli and garlic, mustard seeds, and spices. The mass is then shaped into a ball, dipped into gram flour batter and deep fried. The resultant fritter is served by placing inside a bread bun, accompanied with one or more chutneys and fried green chilli.

History

The most common theory of the vada pav's origin is that it was invented in the erstwhile mill-heartland of Central Mumbai. The carbohydrate-rich snack catered to the mill workers of what was then known as Girangaon. The combination of the potato dumpling placed inside a pav quickly became popular in Girangaon and later the rest of Maharashtra. The favourite snacks in Maharashtra, vada pav is claimed to be a part of the culture of Marathis.
One of the earliest kiosks selling vada pav is said to be Khidki Vada Pav located in Kalyan. It was started in the late 1960s by the Vaze family, who used to hand out vada pav from a window of their house facing the road.

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