Culinary treasures of Mumbai’s diverse communities need better representation on trails and itineraries
Recently, on an overcast Sunday, as we tucked into delish Mutton Dhansak at a quaint eatery near Horniman Circle, the thought resurfaced. As a melting pot of countless communities, the city, somehow, doesn’t seem to do justice to the origins of their culinary treasures. The stories need to be shared with homegrown junta and out-of-towner foodies — who, as we are seeing — are ever-keen for a good narrative in the name of great food, of course.
Our stream of thought, as we polished off the last morsel of Parsi-Irani fare, down to the memorable spoonful of blobby Caramel Custard, was the need to chronicle Mumbai’s rich and diverse culinary history, and showcase it such that it emerges as an arm of the city’s evolution and cosmopolitanism. Often, we’ve been appalled at the scant awareness by Mumbaikars who can’t see regional food options beyond Malwani or ‘Madrasi khana’. Add to this the Punjabi-fied mishmash and the Manchurian invasion of the forgettable kinds.
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Food is big business in Mumbai. An off shot that is witnessing a heady spell is the growing breed of home chefs, pop-up kitchens and their ilk that are doing well to introduce and engage foodies to unheard-of regional fare.
However a gaping vacuum is the food trail segment. The city has more to dish out apart from the done-to-death Udipi restaurant trail in Matunga or a rushed dekko of a few Parsi-Irani eateries in SoBo. Come Ramzan, and Bhendi Bazaar becomes the go-to haunt for food scouts who make a beeline in their BMWs or from a Borivli fast. Of late, we’ve seen Chembur’s iconic Sindhi fare get column space. And yet, we feel this is just skimming the surface. Be it the forgotten chimney-sporting bakeries, nondescript thali joints of Bhuleshwar and Kalbadevi, GTB Nagar’s rustic dhaba fare, fast-fading ‘Hindu hotels’…the list is endless, and so will be their stories. While Mumbai can't boast of specific food districts (sigh), the unorganised chaos adds to the charm and thrill.
You would have experienced this ode to food during overseas travel. Guidebooks and itineraries are packed with culinary tours. We recall this one weekend in Isle of Wight — a self-sufficient dot on the English Channel. From brewery trails to farmer’s markets and butchery workshops (not for the faint-hearted) where prized produce from each village was on display, we couldn’t have missed the focus despite our barely 48-hour stay in an area that is as large as the suburb we live in. Authorities and local groups had pulled out all stops to ensure their food didn’t go unnoticed. Truth be told, the fare was all about smart packaging, and less about variety.
The gap is calling out loud to be filled. Let the stories of Mumbai’s communities via their culinary trysts be saluted as an intrinsic part of this great city’s origins.
mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
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