Best Maharashtrian Foods
Misal is a specialty dish of the Indian state of Maharashtra, its name literally translated to a mixture of everything, so the ingredients vary from cook to cook. However, a combination of these ingredients is the most common in a typical misal: curd, moth bean or pea curry, gravy, spiced potatoes, and garnishings such as onions, coriander, and tomatoes.
It is mandatory for a true misal to be spicy, while the base needs to be crunchy. Visually, it should look like a work of art, with lots of colors - typically red, brown, orange, and green. The earliest mention of the dish appeared around the early 20th century.
MOST ICONIC Misal
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Aamras is essentially puréed mango pulp that is typically eaten as a dessert. It is made with ripe and juicy mangos that are sliced or diced and blended into a creamy, sweet, and fragrant mixture. The finely puréed cream usually gains the sweetness from ripe mangos, but it can be additionally sweetened with jaggery or sugar.
It is sometimes merely elevated with the addition of saffron, dry ginger, or cardamom, but its simplicity allows room for alteration and the creation of numerous varieties. Classic aamras is a typical summer dessert, but canned varieties are available all year round.
MOST ICONIC Aamras
View moreShrikhand is a popular Indian yogurt-based dessert, combined with sugar and nuts in order to develop a rich, creamy texture and sweet flavor. In North India, it is usually served for breakfast, while in South India, it is commonly served as a dessert after the main dish.
Shrikhand is also a festive dish that is made for Janmashtami (the birthday of Lord Krishna) in Maharashtra and Gujarat. There is a popular theory about the origin of shrikhand; it is said that the herdsmen used to hang curd or yogurt overnight so they could carry it more easily while traveling.
MOST ICONIC Shrikhand
View morePav bhaji is a popular street snack originating from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It consists of a vegetable curry that is typically served with a soft bread roll known as pav. The dish was invented in the 1850s as a midnight meal by street vendors who prepared it with all the leftover vegetables from the day, which were then mashed and combined with spices and ghee butter.
Originally, it was a quick and easy meal for Mumbai's textile mill workers, but today it is a favorite street snack that is also served in some restaurants in Mumbai. There are a lot of varieties of the basic pav bhaji, with added cheese, paneer, mushrooms, plantains, and even dried fruits thrown in the flavorful curry mix.
MOST ICONIC Pav bhaji
View moreMisal pav is a traditional dish originating from Maharashtra. Its two main components are misal – a curry made with sprouted moth beans, usually topped with chivda, onions, chilis, and potatoes – and pav, bread rolls used to mop up the flavorful curry.
Misal pav can be served for breakfast, as a snack or a main dish. It is commonly found in roadside stalls, breakfast joints, and office canteens.
MOST ICONIC Misal pav
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Vada pav is one of Mumbai's favorite sandwiches, its name referring to the key ingredients: vada, or spicy mashed potatoes that are deep-fried in chickpea batter, and pav, or white bread rolls. This iconic street food is said to have originated from a street vendor named Ashok Vaidya, who worked near the Dadar train station in the 1960s and 1970s.
He thought of a way to satiate the hungry workers, and concluded that the ideal dish should be portable, affordable, and easy to prepare. Ashok made vada pav, and its popularity skyrocketed, especially after the Shiv Sena, a Marathi-Hindu nationalist political party, started to promote the sandwich as an ideal working class snack.
MOST ICONIC Vada pav
View moreModak is an Indian sweet dumpling believed to have originated in the state of Maharashtra. In India, modak is prepared in a variety of ways, and it is known under various names. Depending on the region, it is also referred to as mothagam or kozhukattai in Tamil, modhaka or kadubu in Kannada, or kudumu in Telugu.
The ingredients, preparation, and cooking methods also depend on regional differences. However, the most common variety is called ukadiche modak, the steamed variety made with rice flour and filled with a sweet concoction of grated coconut and jaggery.
VARIATIONS OF Modak
MOST ICONIC Modak
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
These crispy Indian fritters consist of a combination of soaked tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes, roasted and crushed peanuts, and a variety of spices such as turmeric, chili, ginger, and fresh coriander. Sabudana vada fritters can be found at many stalls throughout Maharashtra and are especially popular in Mumbai.
Since they do not contain meat, the fritters are a favorite fasting snack. Sabudana vada is typically served hot, paired with yogurt or chutney.
MOST ICONIC Sabudana vada
View moreBatata vada is a popular vegetarian street food item that was invented in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a potato fritter made with a combination of mashed potatoes and spices that is shaped into a ball, dipped in chickpea batter called besan, then deep-fried.
The dish is typically served with a chutney consisting of shredded coconut, tamarind, and garlic. Batata vada is also a part of a popular Indian sandwich called vada pav, consisting of batata vada and chutney, served on soft buns called pav.
MOST ICONIC Batata vada
View moreBombay biryani is a variety of Indian biryani, consisting of layers of flavored basmati rice, potatoes, chunks of chicken or mutton, alongside some fried onions, mint leaves, and dried plums. Rice is boiled with a variety of spices, the meat and potatoes are fried, and everything is layered in a pot.
The dish is typically finished with melted ghee on top and enjoyed with cooling raita and a fresh salad on the side. This variety of biryani is distinguished by a mild sweetness imparted by the dried plums, kewra essence, and fried onions used in its preparation.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Biryani
Best Maharashtrian Food Producers
Eleftheria Cheese is a Mumbai-based artisanal cheese producer. The company specializes in crafting various types of cheese, including feta, halloumi, and ricotta, using traditional techniques. Eleftheria Cheese focuses on using high-quality, locally sourced ingredients.
It is known for holding cheese-tasting events and workshops to educate consumers about their products and the art of cheese-making.
AWARDS

World Cheese Awards - Super Gold
2023

World Cheese Awards - Gold
2023, 2022
BEST Eleftheria Cheese Cheeses
AWARDS

The Vodka Masters - Gold
2023

The Asian Spirits Masters - Gold
2022

The Gin Masters - Gold
2022
BEST Third Eye Distillery Spirits
Colors Chocolate is a chocolate producer based in Mumbai, India. They specialize in crafting high-quality chocolates with an emphasis on artistic designs and unique flavors. The company sources premium ingredients to ensure the quality of their products.
They offer a range of products including chocolate bars, pralines, and gift boxes.
AWARDS

International Chocolate Awards - Silver
2023, 2022

International Chocolate Awards - Bronze
2023
BEST Colors Chocolate Chocolates
AWARDS

International Chocolate Awards - Bronze
2017
BEST Inspiration Chocolates Chocolates
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.