Between the years of 1861 and 1865, the United States of America witnessed a civil war between its northern and southern states. While the apex of the conflict had to do with the abolishment and retention of slavery, the southern states hoped for support from England and France during the course of the war. To most, this might seem like a history lesson that is out of context; however, who would’ve imagined that the tangy Mumbai delicacy of pav bhaji, first saw its awakening as a consequence of this conflict from another part of the world!
To put into perspective and take a stroll through history, the southern states of America were key suppliers of cotton to the famed Manchester mills in England. Since the latter had done away with the social construct of slavery, they found themselves in a limbo trying to procure cotton in order to keep the mills running. As cotton exports were terminated from New Orleans and Mississippi, resulting in a spike for cotton prices, England turned to India for help. The businessmen from Gujarat, who were willing to swoop in and make up for the deficit, had their mill workers awake and functioning into the late hours of the night, since orders would come through during American and European times.
What this also meant was that mill workers who continued to operate in night shifts, needed meals that were filling but quick to eat. The challenge most of them faced was the inability to carry or have food delivered to them from home at these odd hours; as a result, the pav bhaji was conceptualised. What is possibly one of the first street foods to come up in India, pav bhaji was made with leftover vegetables that street vendors mashed up and cooked in a tomato gravy to make it more palatable. Served with chopped onions and a squeeze of lime, it was eventually discovered that the pao – a Portuguese import, paired well with the mashed vegetable medley.
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Hence, buttered pao that were lightly toasted, became the staple accompaniment to the bhaji – which went on to grab the attention of many, over the course of the years. This late-night meal option not only kept thousands of mill workers going, in order to meet demands and narrow the cotton shortage, but also gave birth to its off-shoot – the masala pav – which is simply a condensed version of the mashed vegetables slathered on the bun, instead of being served on the side. As of today, the pav bhaji has been bastardised in forms that include fondues, pizzas, dinner rolls and used as a filling for dosas!