Mumbai is the birthplace of the street food vada pav.
The snack emerged in Mumbai’s mill districts during the 1960s, when cotton-mill workers needed an inexpensive, filling food that could be eaten quickly. Ashok Vaidya is commonly credited with selling an early version outside Dadar railway station in 1966, although Sudhakar Mhatre is also associated with the dish’s early history.
Vada pav combines a deep-fried potato fritter, or batata vada, with a soft pav bun. It is usually served with garlic or coconut chutney, coriander chutney, and a fried green chilli. The pav reflects Mumbai’s colonial-era bread culture: the word comes from the Portuguese pão, meaning bread.
Although versions are now sold throughout India and abroad, Mumbai remains central to its identity. It is sometimes called the “Bombay burger” because the potato fritter sits inside a bun, but it is distinct from a Western burger in ingredients, preparation, and its Maharashtrian street-food traditions.