The Solapuri Meal - the real taste of Maharashtra



Palace turned Municipal Corporation

 I have been in Mumbai for more than 10 years and being a foodie always thought the Maharashtrians are known for these 3 dishes (in Veg, ofcourse) - Misal/Usal, Vada-Pav, Poha. And also Jhunka-Bhakhar which you dont sight that often in the city, well even in Nasik for eg, where I explored all possible eateries for the best Misal Pavs - One should not forget CIDCO and Panchwati area of Nasik to grab one of the best Misals, even better than the Kolhapurs.

 

But when I travelled deep within the state, got to explore some of the rich cuisines of Maharashtra like the Solapuri Meal consisting of (1) Jhunka-Bhakar (Grain bread and pulse gravy) (2) Pitla (Besan + Onion gravy) (3) Shengdana Rassa (Crished Peanuts in Spicy gravy)  and much much more and one should not forget asking for a speciality called (4) THECHCHA (Its a grated chilli-garlic paste/aachar) and Fried Garlic along with the food and (5) Sol Kadhi (Kokam buttermilk) as you finish. For Nov-Veggies there are various options available in Fish-Meat-Chicken.... my colleagues Milind, Sameer keep asking for whatever of the above in "Gaavran Style" which means "Village bred" and not factory bred.

So, if you travel towards Solapur, dont miss these delicacies. There are various restaurants and one may ask the localites for a lead, specifically mentioning "No High Ambience- Simple-Marathi Thaal compulsorily with Jhunka-Bhakhar" ...else you would be led to some city like wannabe places serving you Kashmiri Aloo Dums in Solapur...