Author: Ankit Jaiswal

Apart from being the centre point of the country (0 Mile Square), Nagpur’s culinary delights and taste buds are unique in itself. Also, we believe Nagpuris can easily be contenders for top foodies of the country. 😛
From the unique and explosive Saoji cuisine to delicious street food, here in this article, you will be getting to know about the food of Nagpur as an Insider.

Tarri Poha

What better way to start a morning than the signature dish that wakes up every Nargpurkar – a regional take on the quintessential poha. Spiced with a hot tarri, the Nagpur poha is a delightful mix of the salty poha and spices of the tarri – setting each other off with their contrast. If you like a spicy kick to your taste buds, we assure you that tarri poha works better than a shot of caffeine!

Recommended Places: Ram Shyam Poha at Radisson Square, Keshav Poha at Deo Nagar Square.

Mutton Saoji

Saoji is a type of cuisine that is famous in this part of Maharashtra and is known for its intense spicy flavour that comes from a base of black pepper rather than red chilli used traditionally. A haven for non-vegetarian food lover heads to one of Nagpur’s many Saoji establishments that have been running for generations with their secret masala being passed from one generation to another. Order a plate of Mutton Saoji (for vegetarians, you can opt for Paneer Saoji – eggetarians, opt for Egg Saoji) and wash it down with buttermilk and sweet dishes to balance the flavours.

Recommended Places: Rahi Soaji at Pratap Nagar (Opp. CCD), Prachand Saoji at Telephone Exchange Square.

Patodi Rassa

Another spicy item from this part of the world, this is a Vidarbha speciality made from gram flour (besan). The rassa or curry is the best part of the dish with oil and a lot of different spices. Relish this for a scrumptious lunch. Best recommended item for vegetarians.

Recommend Places: Variety Foods at Surendra Nagar, Varhadi Vyanjan at Pratap Nagar, Varhadi Thaat at Yashwant Stadium.

Matka Roti

Now just do not be judgy and confuse it with Rumali Roti yet. This one is different. The basic difference lies in the preparation method and ingredients. While Rumali Roti is made from Maida and is made over iron vessel over tandoor, Matka Roti is made from Full Atta and is made over a hot matka. While Rumali Roti is thrown into up and spreads in the air to take its shape, Matka Roti has to be made using full forearms and its dough has to be beaten continuously to keep its elasticity. In short, a unique food originated from Central India.

Recommended Places: Kiosk named Taj Matka at Ravi Nagar Square.

Santra Barfi

More than of Nagpuri’s  this one is favourite from Relatives and Friends living outside Nagpur. Get ready to feel trouble from your near ones, if you do not carry this back with you while travelling from Nagpur. It’s basically barfi (fudge) made with orange pulp and flavour into condensed form. Try to stop at one!

Recommended Places: Hera Sweets from Sita Buldi (Hands down)

So this was my try for a short compilation of unique foods from Nagpur. If you know any I might have left, do share in the comments below.
A big thank you to the very jolly Sukhada Chaudhary and top foodie from Nagpur Prashen Kyawal for all the help with this article. Love you loads <3

If you are looking to discover more delicacies of Nagpur, do check out Nagpur Foodies Facebook group.

Photo Credits:

• Tarri poha Photo from FoodByMood.com
• Mutton Saoji Photo From ShoutOut Nagpur
• Patodi Rassa from Pratape Foods
• Santra (Orange) Barfi photo from FoodByMood.com

Choosing a venue for WordCamp was the one of the hardest decision. Following are some points we keep in mind while shortlisting the venue:

• The venue had to be at the centre of the city. So that it is convenient for all.
• The venue should have multiple halls and open areas for parallel tracks and networking.
• The venue should have amenities to assist people with impaired mobility.
• The venue Promoters should be supportive.

After visiting almost about 20+ venues across the city we narrowed it down to the choice of Chitnavis Centre. It is the centre of the country, literally just 1.3 km away from zero mile monument.

Chitnavis Centre is centrally located in Civil lines, Nagpur in a large campus admeasuring 4.42 acres. Centre has multiple properties equipped audio-visual facilities for seminars, workshops, training sessions, conferences, dance recitals, plays, music concerts, art exhibitions, film festivals, expositions and many other events.

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Chitnavis Centre is run by NGO – Sir Gangadharao Chitnavis Memorial Medical Research Trust (reg. No. E-831 dt.31.1.1973). It is a charitable trust working in the field of human welfare, human rights, medical relief, education, promotion of art and culture and protection of the environment.

Revenues generated from the Chitnavis Centre are channelized towards many social projects which are managed by the trust.

Regular sessions, various events, activities, and campaigns are organised in the city, under following names we know:

• Pranav – Early intervention centre for hearing impaired Children
• Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA) – to promote democracy, citizenship values and civic awareness among children and youth.
• Manjiri – to empower women to help them participate in the growth and development of India
• Akshar – Free of Cost computer classes to underprivileged children, especially from nearby slums.
• Children’s Library, Mahal – The library stocks books from school textbooks to novels, comics and magazines. Books are available in three languages- Hindi, Marathi & English. Library is located at Chitnavis Wada, Mahal

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With all above goodness of people behind Chitnavis Centre, the venue is well maintained, lush green, at centre, without noise and very well built with ample parking. Perfect place for first WordCamp in the city.

A gentle reminder that early birds tickets are already open and going out fast. Book yours today! 🙂