By Shireen Jamooji
When we talk about Maharashtrian cuisine, it's always as if there's only one. But there's more than just Mumbai street food in Maharashtra! In reality, the vast state has many different and unique regional styles of cooking, each one unique and delicious in its own way.
Along the Western coast, this region uses a lot of fresh seafood, coconuts and local masalas that identify each specific town.
Also known as Pashchim Maharashtra this region has a lot of Maratha influence and includes meat and spice rich Kohlapuri food as well as vegetarian Brahmin areas.
This Northern region has more of a Mughal influence and since it's drought prone uses more hardy crops such as jowar, bajra and eggplant.
The Aurangabad region of the state has a hot and arid climate which makes fresh crops scarce. As such a lot of sun-dried ingredients and preserved chutneys are used.
This area is known for a mix of sweet, spicy and fried dishes. It's also home to Nagpur's Saoji cuisine which has fiery hot and smoky flavours.