The Bakarwadi Connection

The busy Bajirao road in Pune is incomplete without the vibrant red board of 'Chitale Bandhu' at the end of the road. The dull grey road is lit up by the bright red signboard, the mouths of Punekars water at the very mention of Chitale. The Chitale group of companies is a collaborative venture run by the Chitale family since the 1940s. It was started as a small dairy business in Sangli in 1938 by Bhaskar Ganesh Chitale. It has now diversified into 5 companies, Chitale Dairy, Chitale Bandhu, Chitale foods, Chitale agro and an IT firm called Chitale Digitals. 

It was Raghunathrao Chitale, the son of Bhaskar Ganesh Chitale who set up and managed Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale venture. He was responsible for churning out some of Chitale’s most popular food items: the bakarwadi, amba burfi, shrikhand and pedhas. Chitale has become a household name in Pune with the passage of time, and Punekars associate Chitale’s name with the crunchy, sweet yet spicy Bakarwadis the most.

Bakarwadi is traditionally a Gujarati snack, made popular by Raghunathrao in Maharashtra in the 70s, by making it spicier and more suitable to Maharashtrian palates. Bakarwadi is a highly popular snack in both Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Gujarati bakarwadi is made with a besan dough, which is rolled into thin sheets which is slathered with a spice mix and rolled into cigars. It is then cut into smaller pieces and fried in burning hot oil. It is slightly sweeter than the Maharashtrian one.

The Maharashtrian bakarwadi also has a besan base. Its stuffing has coconut, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, jeera (cumin seeds), aamchur (dried mango powder) and a subtle hint of spice. It is rolled into spirals and fried. The crust is crunchy and crispy, and the stuffing is spiced perfectly. It is the perfect mix of crunch, sweet and spicy flavours.

Bakarwadi is a highly addictive snack, and the very feeling of biting into a delicious Chitale bakarwadi cannot be put into words. That crunch when you bite into it is just unbeatable. It’s a symphony of crunch and delectable flavours.

Over the years, I have formed this attachment with bakarwadi which is so unique. Its my go-to snack. No lunch at home is incomplete without relishing a bakarwadi. Just seeing that white and blue Chitale packet lights up my whole day.

Sneaking into dadu’s kitchen to look for that bakarwadi, is a mood. Seeing baba crush my dear bakarwadi and mix it some dahi is something I look at with awe. For me, adding anything to my little piece of happiness is contaminating its flavor.

But I guess everyone enjoys bakarwadi their way.

The Bakarwadi connection is literally something which will never end. Ever.