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Going to Varanasi is a spiritual journey. From Kashi Vishwanath Temple to the peaceful ghats of the Ganga River to the beautiful Sarnath, visiting this ancient city of India encourages you to peep into your own soul and understand yourself. While your heart feels happy in Banaras, also known as Varanasi, your stomach too will have the time of its life. The food options in this city are unlimited, and you get to eat to your heart’s content at pocket-friendly prices.
If your next trip is planned to Varanasi, here are 10 famous foods the city has to offer you.
Kachori Sabzi:
A quintessential Varanasi breakfast, kachori sabzi features deep-fried, flaky pooris made from maida and filled with spiced lentils, aloo, or pyaaz, served with a yummy potato curry. The combination is considered to be the best breakfast meal that you can try out in the city of Kashi. A lot of people like to have jalebis along with this combination.
Tamatar Chaat:
Recipe - Cook With Parul
Varanasi's street food scene is known for its tamatar chaat, a spicy and tangy tomato-based chaat. This chaat is special because it has a tomato-based gravy and no use of onion or garlic in any form. While all the chaat varieties of Banaras are not only delicious, but they are also popular too, the glory that tangy tamatar chaat has is unmatched. Served in earthen bowls, this street food is a must try!
Lassi:
Varanasi's lassi is known for its creamy and slightly tangy taste. In every tourist spot that you visit, there will be multiple lassi vendors right outside the entrances and exits to offer you the most satisfying glass of this yoghurt drink you might have ever had. It's often topped with a dollop of malai and a sprinkle of cardamom, making it a sweet and cooling beverage.
Malaiyyo:
Recipe - Display Kitchen
If you're in Varanasi during the winter months, don't miss Malaiyyo. This sweet dish is made by churning milk to create a frothy, light-as-air dessert, topped with pistachios and almonds. It's a winter delicacy that melts in your mouth. Craving this dessert? Well, this is the correct time to book your tickets to Varanasi!
Baati Chokha:
Baati-chokha is a favourite in Varanasi and something that every foodie must try. Baatis are hard, unleavened bread balls baked over an open flame and served with chokha, a spicy mash of roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and aloo. The combination goes best with a generous portion of Desi ghee served with the baati.
Chai:
While tea lovers need no reason to enjoy a cup, Varanasi’s creamy chai can convert coffee lovers too! This tea, made with fresh, full-cream milk and served in earthen cups at tea stalls, might just be the best chai you will ever have. With elaichi and adrak enhancing the flavour, Varanasi’s chai in winter will warm up your soul.
Launglata:
A sweet treat indigenous to Varanasi, launglata is a sugar syrup-soaked, clove-studded deep-fried sweet that is as flaky as it is delicate. The cloves add a unique flavour to this local dessert, explaining the name of this dessert, “laung” lata. These sweets can stay fresh for a couple days, so you can travel back and surprise your loved ones with this unique dessert.
Thandai:
Credits - Foodies Fab
If you visit in the months of March–July, Varanasi's scorching summers call for a refreshing glass of Thandai. This cool, milk-based drink is infused with a blend of nuts and saffron. It's particularly popular during festivals like Holi. Sometimes, it is mixed with bhang leaves to create what we call “Mahadev’s favourite drink”.
Malai Peda:
Malai peda is a sweet confection made from reduced milk and sugar and flavoured with cardamom or saffron. These delicious, bite-sized treats can be found in Varanasi's sweet shops. Often offered as Prasad in the temple of Kashi Vishwanath, malai peda also has a good shelf life of a week. As Prasad or as a dessert, malai peda is a dessert that you should taste while in Varanasi.
Banarasi Paan:
A visit to Varanasi is incomplete without savouring a Banarasi paan. This betel leaf preparation, filled with sweet and savoury ingredients like cherries, zarda, supari, saunf, chuna, kattha, and kesar chutney, is the best way to end a meal. The city is famous for its exquisite and elaborately crafted paans, and your foodie trip is incomplete without eating it.
Where to Enjoy These Delicacies:
Kashi Chaat Bhandar: A renowned eatery in Varanasi, Kashi Chaat Bhandar serves delicious tamatar chaat, golgappas, and a variety of other chaats.
Pehalwan Lassi Bhandar: Known for its rich and creamy lassis, Pehalwan Lassi Bhandar is a local favourite and gets tourists to flock to the counters too.
Kachori Gali, a food lovers' lane in Varanasi, is dedicated to kachori-sabzi and offers many stalls to choose from. This lane is completely packed in the morning, during breakfast.
Deena Chat Bhandar is a popular spot for tamatar chaat and other street foods like chura matar, chole samosa, and dahi bada.
Shree Shivaya Sweet Shop: This establishment is known for its launglata, malai peda, and other delectable sweets. You can get your sweets packed here and travel.
