Nagpur travel guide

Saoji mutton

Nagpur's most celebrated dish—a fiery black-spice mutton curry using dry-roasted Saoji masala with dried coconut, black cardamom and stone flower; invented by the Teli community; Shere Punjab in Nagpur is the institution; not for the faint-hearted

Tarri poha

Nagpurs breakfast institution—flattened rice cooked with turmeric, mustard, curry leaves and onion, served alongside a thin, fiery chickpea curry (tarri); the poha is mild, the tarri is scorching; Nagpur's Chitnis Park poha stalls have queues from 7am

Orange barfi

Nagpur's identity sweet—milk-based fudge flavored with Nagpur orange extract and colored bright orange; given as gifts from India's orange capital; the Haldiram Nagpur branch sells the city's own specific version that isn't available in other cities

Vada pav

Mumbai's defining street food—a spiced potato fritter inside a bread bun with dry garlic chutney and thin green chili; eaten by 12 million Mumbaikar's daily from stalls outside every railway station; cheap, filling and addictive

Patodi

Maharashtras chickpea flour noodle dish—thin gram flour sheets steamed and sliced into rods, dressed in a tempering of curd and spices; a traditional rural Maharashtra preparation found at specific Marathi restaurants in Pune and Nashik

Santra burfi

Nagpur's most beloved sweet—pure orange juice and milk reduced into a firm, orange-flavored fudge that crumbles at the touch; Nagpur is India's orange capital and this sweet reflects that identity; buy directly from Chitale or Haldiram's Nagpur stores