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.
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