4 min read
Maharashtra is an easy state to travel vegetarian in — the everyday food of most of the region already is. What takes a little more care is the highway stretch between towns, where kitchens are mixed and the distinction gets blurry.
Look for the green mark
Indian packaged food and licensed kitchens carry a mandatory mark: a green filled circle inside a green square for vegetarian, brown for non-vegetarian. On a hotel or restaurant board, a prominent green mark is the quickest signal that the kitchen has committed to being fully vegetarian rather than serving both.
Useful phrases
- शुद्ध शाकाहारी आहे का? — Is it pure vegetarian?
- कांदा लसूण नाही — No onion or garlic
- जैन आहे का? — Do you have Jain food?
- तिखट कमी — Less spicy
What to order on the road
Misal pav is the classic Maharashtrian highway breakfast — sprouted usal with a spiced tarri, farsan on top, and pav to mop it up. It is regional: Kolhapuri comes fiery, Puneri is gentler, Nashik sits somewhere between. Pav bhaji, sabudana khichdi and a good thali are the other reliable stops. If you are fasting, ask for upvas options — most kitchens in the state keep them.
A note on timing
Kitchens on the highway are busiest between one and three in the afternoon, and again after eight in the evening. Arriving slightly ahead of either window usually means fresher food and a shorter wait — which, if you are travelling with children or elderly parents, is worth more than it sounds.
