Do You Know Pav Bhaji Is Connected To American Civil War? Know How And When It Came To India

Crispy toasted pav along with spicy bhaji, topped with some chopped onions and a dollop of butter. Just the thought of it is enough to make food lovers drool. This flavoursome street food is not only popular in India, but is also liked by people of all ages alike. Made with mashed potatoes and several other vegetables, this lip-smacking delight has been a famous delicacy in India since time immemorial. Do you know that pav bhaji is actually not Indian? Yes, you read that right. Pav Bhaji might be the most-liked dish in Maharashtra but it doesn’t have Indian roots.

History of Pav Bhaji

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The roots of Pav Bhaji can be traced back to Portugese, where the dish is said to be originally made. The Portugese used to make pav bhaji with all the vegetables mixed together and used to consume it with bread. In Portugese, bread is known as ‘pão’, which is also called pav or pao in India. Many people say that ‘pav’ was named so, because it was 1/4th part of the bread. Pav bhaji came to India, when the Portuguese gifted Bombay (now Mumbai) to the British in dowry when Princess Catherine D Bragenza was married to British Prince Charles II. That’s how the delicious Pav Bhaji became the speciality of Mumbai and is till date known for its taste.

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The American Connection

Pav bhaji is also linked to American Civil War which happened from 1861-1865. During that time the British had a dearth of cotton supply because of the ongoing war in America. Thus, ordered the cotton mills in Mumbai to prepare cotton in bulk. To fulfill such huge orders, the workers had to work day and night. In order to keep the workers fed, small stalls were set outside such mills. They had to prepare food which was not only cheap but also easy to make. These stalls made pav bhaji from all the leftover vegetables from the day and used to serve it with buns. The meal was not only nutritious but was also available round the clock. As the number of mills spread across Mumbai, so did these pav bhaji stalls.

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Famous in India

Today, this mouth-watering dish has spread to every part of India and is severed with a unique twist. While the Mumbai pav bhaji is spicy and served with traditionally chopped onions and coriander, the South India pav bhaji is given a tadka of curry leaves.

The pav bhaji variation made in Gujarat, also known as Jain pav bhaji is free of onion and garlic. The punjabi version of pav bhaji is made with extra butter and garam masala, which gives it a distinct flavour. It is served with a glass of buttermilk, which gives the dish a final punjabi touch.

How to make pav bhaji in an easy way

If you too want to prepare street style pav bhaji at home, then this is the easiest way.

• All you need to do is take 3-4 medium sized potatoes, one cup grated cauliflower, half cup of peas and one cup of diced carrots.
• Put them all in a pressure cooker and wait for two whistles.
• Now for the masala, turn on the flame and start by frying two big chopped onions in butter along with tomato puree.
• Add your boiled vegetables along with ginger, garlic and green chili paste.
• Now add all the spices such as turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt, garam masala and pav bhaji masala.
• Add water to bring it to a proper consistency and keep mashing it for 8-10 minutes. Let the vegetables cook for another 15 minutes and your flavoursome pav bhaji is ready.
• Serve it with chopped onions, lemon and loads of butter.

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