India’s diverse culture presents multiple options for foodies. Every region has its staples. For breakfast, especially, the choices vary from one home to another. While some pick southern favourites such as the dosa, idli, vada and uthappam, parathas, puri-aloo and kachoris are popular in the north. Other common breakfast choices include upma, dhokla and poha. Dishes such as the dosa are not popular only in the region they originated in but are now loved and eaten all over the country. Poha (flattened rice), which is immensely popular in Maharashtra and particularly celebrated in cities such as Indore in Madhya Pradesh, enjoys widespread popularity.
Each state has its own version. Maharashtra has kanda poha and batata poha made with onions and potatoes; the Gujarati poha is slightly sweetened as a small quantity of sugar is added to the preparation; the Rajasthani poha is slightly spicier; and in Madhya Pradesh, the Rajasthani poha is served with jalebi.
Cooking poha is very easy. After rinsing the poha under running water, the excess water needs to be drained. Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chillies, onions and peas need to be sauteed in the pan. Spices such as turmeric powder and red chillies can be added to this mix and finally, the drained poha along with some cooked potatoes are added. Some make poha with toasted peanuts and freshly grated coconuts or pomegranate pearls, while others serve it with dahi or sev, squeezing lime on top. The ease of making this dish also contributes to its popularity.
Unlike some other breakfast options, poha is also not deep-fried and hence considered better for health. It’s also low in calories, rich in essential nutrients, easy to digest, and customisable as per one’s personal preference, which makes it a healthy breakfast choice.
While it is commonly known that taste preferences differ from person to person, a recent post by an X user named Muskan, where she posted a picture of poha with the caption, “Tell me a worse breakfast than this,” led to an outpour of emotions from foodie netizens. The post went viral and received over 761K views. The post was met with mixed reactions.
While the ones defending poha called it “India’s favourite breakfast,” there were others who commanded her to “delete the post." One user even accused Muskan of posting her unpopular opinion only to increase her reach and get attention. However, the debate wasn’t one-sided. Many X users agreed with Muskan.
Video Credit: NishaMadhulika
Some expressed that they were relieved to know that they were not the only ones who felt this way about Poha and that “someone had finally spoken the truth,” while another user said that poha had a “horrible taste but was a great source of carbohydrates." In an extreme reaction, one X user posted that they “didn’t consider those who ate poha, humans.”
The fact that this post on X sparked this large debate just goes to show that while many folks in India eat poha regularly, they may not necessarily love it. Some may choose it simply out of convenience and habit, while there are many others who completely dislike the dish.