Street food of Mumbai

A street vendor prepares Bhelpuri in Mumbai, Maharashtra

Street food of Mumbai is the food sold by Hawker trade hawkers from portable Market stalls in Mumbai. It is one of the characteristics of the city.^[1] The city is known for its distinctive street foods.^[2] Although street food is common all over India, street food in Mumbai is noted because people from all economic classes eat on the roadside almost round the clock and it is sometimes felt that the taste of street food is better than restaurants in the city.^[3][4][5] Many Mumbaikars like a small snack on the road in the evening.^[6] People of Mumbai cut across barriers of class, religion, gender and ethnicity are passionate about street food.^[7] Street food vendors are credited by some for developing the city's food culture.^[8] Street food in Mumbai is relatively inexpensive as compared to restaurants and vendors tend to be clustered around crowded areas such as colleges and railway stations.^[3]

Variety

Mumbai being Capital of Maharashtra is dominated by Maharashtrian food. Vada Pav is noted as the most popular street food in Mumbai.^[9][10] Other noted street foods in Mumbai include Panipuri, Bhelpuri, Sevpuri, Dahipuri, Sandwiches, Ragda-pattice, Pav Bhaji, Chinese bhel, idlis and Dosas, all of which are vegetarian. In terms of non-vegetarian offerings omelette-pav, kebabs and fish are found on Mumbai streets.^[5] The amount of variety of street food is attributed to the cosmopolitan culture of the city.^[5] In the 1980s Indianised Chinese food was an emerging trend on Mumbai streets.^[11] Other popular street food items include Misal Pav (spicy curry made of sprouted moth beans which is eaten with pav, an Indian bread), and vegetable frankie(a popular and cheaper version of wraps and rolls).^[12]

Kulfi (a type of ice cream) and gola (type of ice cone) are among the desserts and coolants found on Mumbai streets.^[13] Apart from snacks, Mumbai has several juice and milkshake bars on the roadside that offer a variety of juices and milkshakes.^[2] Fresh Sugarcane juice vendors are synonymous with Mumbai roads and offer a cheap form of refreshment.^[14][15] Tea vendors cycle around the city, selling the beverage hot on the streets. Street vendors normally remain unaffected by general strike calls and do business all year around.^[16] Paan, a betel leaf preparation eaten as a mouth fresher post meals in India^[17] is also sold at Mumbai's roadside stalls.^[18]

Areas and spread

Lanes with a sizable cluster of street food stalls are known as "Khau Galli's" locally which mean Food street in Marathi .^[19] Girgaum Chowpatty beach is noted for its Bhelpuri and kulfi.^[20][21] Street vendors at Nariman Point, one of the city's financial hubs, do brisk business during the lunch hour.^[22]

Mumbai's street food has made its way into kitchens of restaurants in the city, including five star hotels.^[3][23][24] In fact, restaurants in various parts of the world have incorporated Mumbai's street food into their menu cards.^[20][25] Homegrown fast food companies that serve street food in Mumbai have been launched in recent years.^[26]

Controversies

Many people, especially from elite classes, avoid eating on the roadside because of hygiene issues.^[23] Restaurants and hotels have capitalised on this phenomenon by offering street food to their clientele.^[24] As many of the street food vendors are North Indian, street food vendors were targeted during the 2008 attacks on North Indian migrants in Maharashtra.^[27] A large number of hawkers trade illegally, without mandatory permits from the local municipality, by bribing officials.^[1][28] Drives to evict hawkers are regularly held, though the hawkers return after a short period of time.^[29] Equipment and other goods seized from illegal hawkers are returned by the municipality after the hawker pays a fine.^[30] In 2007, the Supreme Court ruled in a case against illegal hawking by asking the municipality to demarcate 230 areas in the city as legal hawking zones, a number that was later increased to 1700 areas; this is still to be implemented.^[31] A news report in 2009 claimed that no hawking licenses had been issued in Mumbai for 20 years and that out of the estimated 250,000 hawkers in the city only about 17,000 had a valid license.^[32]

A controversy emerged in 2011, when a panipuri vendor from Thane was filmed urinating into a container that was also used to serve the customers. The event led to a public uproar and a major political drama in the city;^[33] Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena members again attacked North Indians, targeting the Panipuri and Bhelpuri sellers of Mumbai and Thane.^[34] The vendor concerned was arrested by the police and taken to court, which fined him and thereafter let him off with a warning.^[35] After action against all panipuri vendors across the city by political parties, the vendor in question, who himself was in the business for 15 years, chose to give up the trade altogether and take up a job with a private security agency.^[36]

See also

• Street food of Chennai

References

Street food
Street foods	Acarajé Aloo chaat Aloo tikki Anticucho Arancini Arepa Asinan Bagel Bakpau Bakso Banana cue Bánh canh Bánh hỏi Bánh mì sandwich Bánh xèo Batagor Beguni Belgian waffle Beondegi Bhelpuri Binaki Biryani Bourekas Bratwurst Brochette Bublik Bubur ayam Bun cha Bunny chow Burrito Breakfast burrito Calzone Camote cue Cart noodle Chaat Chebureki Chiko Roll Chimichanga Chinese bhel Cockle (bivalve) Covrigi Coxinha Crêpe Currywurst Dahi puri Dim sum Dosa Douhua Empanada Enchilada Esquites Falafel Farinata Fish ball Focaccia French fries Fried chicken Navajo frybread Galette-saucisse Ginanggang Gorengan Ghugni Gukhwappang Gyeranppang Gyro Haleem Hot dog Isaw Idli Jhalmuri Jiaozi Kaassoufflé Kachori Kapsalon Kati roll Kebab Chapli kebab Doner kebab Kyinkyinga Shami kebab List of kebabs Kerak telor Ketoprak Khachapuri Khanom Tokyo Knish Laksa Lángos Luchi Malatang Maruya Masala puri Meat pie Australian or New Zealand meat pie Mie ayam Murtabak Naan Obwarzanek krakowski Pad Thai Pakora Paneer tikka Pani ca meusa Panini Panipuri Panzerotti Panzarotti Papri chaat Paratha Pasty Pav Bhaji Pempek Pepito Peremech Pho Picarones Pilaf Pirozhki Pizza al taglio Pizzetta Plăcintă Poutine Pretzel Punugulu Puri Quail eggs Quesadilla Ražnjići Rogan josh Rojak Roti Rumali roti Rustico Sabich Samosa Sandwich Sardenara Satay Sausage roll Scaccia Scallion pancake Seblak Sevpuri Sfenj Shao Kao Shashlik Shawarma Sicilian pizza Siomay Soto Souvlaki Stigghiola Taco Korean taco Tahri Tahu gejrot Tahu sumedang Takoyaki Tamale Tandoori chicken Tangbao Taquito Tauge goreng Tokneneng Ttongppang Turon Vada Vada pav Vastedda Vietnamese noodles Yakitori Zapiekanka
Food trucks	Big Gay Ice Cream Truck Chef Jeremiah Chi'Lantro BBQ Clover Food Lab Coolhaus Don Chow Tacos Grease trucks The Grilled Cheese Truck The Halal Guys Honeysuckle Gelato Kelvin Natural Slush Co. KIND Movement Kogi Korean BBQ Korilla BBQ Maximus/Minimus Off the Grid Philadelphia Mobile Food Association Pincho Man Pølsevogn Taco Bus
By location	Hong Kong street food Indonesian street food Thai street food Mexican street food Regional street food Street food of Chennai Street food of Mumbai
Mobile catering	Field kitchen Food booth Food cart Food truck Food truck rally Hot dog cart Hot dog stand Ice cream van Sausage wagon Taco stand Yatai Pojangmacha Würstelstand
Lists	List of street foods List of food trucks Food trucks in Tampa, Florida
See also	Food street