For the people

The 60 food stalls were split roughly into those serving hot meals and the rest serving snacks,drinks and packaged products. Several stalls were run by those in the catering business,such as Ashok Shekdir who has outlets in Aurangabad and Pune. He explains that the food in

Aurangabad is influenced by the Nizam rule and therefore they consume mutton biryanis that are moderately spiced (Aurangabadi); his stall also served a hotter Daulatabadi mutton biryani. “Our dishes use mild spices,garam masala and dry coconut,” he explains. He is there to showcase food from his region,but hopes that chefs in Mumbai will use his recipes in their restaurants.

Dharamsingh Pardesh,from Ahmednagar,though,has nothing to do with the food business. “Along with my neighbours,we decided to showcase our cuisine at this festival to educate people,” he humbly states. Serving only vegetarian food,the most delicious dish he had on offer was sipi aamti,a lentil and ghee preparation that uses urad,toor and moong dals. One of the most popular stalls showcased Kolhapuri food,popular for its high levels of spice. It was myth-busting,though,to try the mutton curry that is ludicrously oily and enjoyably spicy,but not particularly hot. Besides the food,there was also a continuation of a women’s cooking competition that will culminate on the last day.

Ultimately,the festival,which runs until April 29,is clearly for Maharashtrians. Most of the visitors were Maharashtrians,the stalls had menus written only in Marathi and some stall owners struggled with Hindi. The aim,we hope,is to showcase various cuisines of the state,that this city is unfamiliar with,to all communities of Mumbai.