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The tourists to Maharashtra are sure to have a treat with its delectable cuisines. The cuisines of Maharashtra are greatly influenced by the crops grown in its different regions and landscapes. It covers a wide variety, ranging from very mild to extremely spicy dishes. Now-a-days, Maharashtrian cuisine has attracted popularity all over India. However, Maharashtra is not only popular for its delicious food, but also for the hospitality.
Rice, wheat, jowar, lentils, fruits and vegetables are the major components of the cuisines of Maharashtra. Aamras and puran poli are some of the popular dishes of this state. Puran poli is a home-made bread or roti, stuffed with a mixture of jaggery and gram flour. The daily meal of the Maharashtrian people includes poli or chapatti, made from the wheat flour, and bhakri made from jowar or bajra and rice. Generally, the poli and bhakri are eaten with bhaji, and rice is eaten with pulses. The bhaji is a vegetarian dish prepared from the vegetables, by adding some spices, along with garlic, onion, red chili powder, ginger, mustard and green chilies. The dishes are prepared using the peanut oil, and peanuts and cashew nuts have wide usage in various dishes.
The non-vegetarian dishes include mutton, usually of sheep, lamb or goat, chicken, fish and other seafoods. The Kolhapuri taambda rassa and pandhra rassa made from mutton and chicken, and Vidarbha's varhadi rassa are very popular throughout Maharashtra. The coastal regions of Konkan are very popular for delicious fish and seafood dishes. Jaggery and tamarind are also used in most of the vegetable dishes. Crabs, prawns and lobsters are popular items of non-vegetarian Maharashtrian cuisines, but the most popular of the sea food dishes of Maharashtra is the Bombay duck. However, it is not a duck; it is a type of fish.
Cuisines of Maharashtra also include several snacks and side dishes, such as sol kadhi prepared from kokam fruit and coconut milk, chiwda, pohay, upma, surali wadi, vada pav, misal pav, matar-usal-pav, thalipeeth, pav bhaji, sabudana khichadi, rice and dal khichadi, bakarwadi, bhadang, sheera, ukad, ghavan and chana daliche dheerde. They are taken as appetizers or for breakfast.
The Maharashtrian cuisine also includes lots of fritters. They are very crispy and mouth-watering. Some of the popular fritters are kothimbir vadi, cabbage rolls, kanda bhaji, mirchi bhaji, batata bhaji, alu wadi, sabudana wada, batata wada, mung dal wade, suranachi wadi, methi wade and bread pattice. Along with routine dishes, the Maharashtrian cuisine includes some fast food dishes also. Some of the popular fast-food dishes of the state are shev puri, bhel, dabeli, pani puri, ragada pattice and dahi puri.
The vegetables and lentils are the integral part of the cuisines of Maharashtra. The most commonly consumed vegetable dishes are batatyachi bhaji, bharli vangi, farasbichi bhaji, palakachi takatli bhaji, and kelphulachi bhaji. In Maharashtra, the soups are consumed along with the main course of meals. Some popular soups in Maharashtra are sol-kadhi, varan, tomato saar, kokam saar, amti and kadhi.
The pickles are included in the meal for the additional taste. The pickles are prepared from many fruits. They are very popular due to their attractive oily appearance and spicy taste. Some of the famous pickles are lemon pickle, amla pickle, mango pickle, fresh turmeric pickle, mustard pickle and chilly pickle.
A typical Maharashtrian meal needs its just desserts. The popular sweetmeats in Maharashtra are puran poli, modak, karanji, kanola, gulab jaam, kheer, jelabi, shankarpali, basundi, shrikhand, chirota, aamrus, gulachi poli and shikran. These items are prepared on the occasion of festivals such as Holi, Naag Panchami, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali. Modak is the sweet dish associated with Ganesh Chaturthi.
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