Is the quintessential Mumbai street food Vada Pav a truly Indian food?

Is the quintessential Vada Pav, the most popular vada pav of Mumbai a truly Indian food? Or does it have some foreign origins as well? Or for that matter, how the true Biryani looks!

No one else can explain it better than Dr Kurush Dalal, a veteran archaeologist, historian and culinary anthropologist.

At the Godrej Vikhroli Cucina’s recently-launched Vibe with Varun, a first-of-its-kind chat show web series featuring conversations beyond food, Dr Dalal spoke of many things related to food.

On vada pav, Dr Dalal, an orator par excellence, said: “The baking technique of pav and the potato came from Portuguese in India. Groundnut oil was introduced by the Portuguese while Garlic came from Central Asia. The Rai or Mustard seeds, Curry leaves and Turmeric added to the vada pav, came from India.”

During the conversation, Dr Dalal talked about his upbringing in a Parsi family and how it influenced his love for food.

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In the rapid fire round, host Chef Varun Inamdar quizzed Kurush by asking him to name one funniest historical food fact that is actually true, to which he replied, “Bhindi Bazaar is called Bhindi Bazaar not because Okra was sold there or because it was behind the bazaar. It is called so because there was a large orchard of hibiscus flowers over there and hibiscus is called bhindi.”

Sharing insights on one story that has become a fact over the years, Dr Dalal spoke about the birth and evolution of Biryani. “Biryani is always perceived as something that just contains mutton, whereas, Biryani is actually a process, a technique. The original biryani in Persia doesn’t even have rice in it, it is served on a Parantha with a paste of meat and Biryan, which is fried onions. So this became a trend where Army soldiers were being fed these fried onions and meat cooked along with rice thus calling it Biryani,” he said.

Adding further to the conversation about the origin of famous Indian food dishes and spices such as Idli, Sambhar, Pav Bhaji, Paneer Bhurji, Butter Chicken, Nutmeg, Cloves and Cardamom.

“There is a whole debate on whether Idli is an Indian dish or the actual technique to make Idli come from Southeast Asia. Most people are unaware of the fact that Idli was exclusively made with Urad Dal but now the whole proportion has changed. Now rice is used more while making Idli compared to urad dal,” he said.

In addition to his insights on nutrition, Dr Dalal also shared his expertise on various food items and cooking techniques. He talked about the benefits of using herbs and spices in cooking, and provided tips for meal planning and food preparation.