AUTHENTIC MAHARASHTRIAN TASTE

Puran Poli is a traditional Maharashtrian sweet dish that has a rich history and cultural significance in the state of Maharashtra, India. The dish is made by stuffing a sweet filling made of jaggery and lentils (chana dal) inside a dough made of wheat flour, and then roasting it on a griddle with ghee (clarified butter) or oil.

In the Vedic period, lentils were an essential part of the diet and were used to make a variety of dishes, including sweet flatbreads. The Atharva Veda, one of the four sacred texts of Hinduism, mentions a dish called “Puroḍāśa” that is made with lentils and is similar to Puran Poli.

The dish also finds mention in ancient texts like the Charaka Samhita and the Bhojanakutuhala. The Charaka Samhita, a medical treatise dating back to the 2nd century BCE, describes a dish called “Puranika,” which is made with lentils and jaggery and is similar to Puran Poli. The Bhojanakutuhala, a medieval text on food and cooking, describes a dish called “Puranapoli,” which is made with chana dal (split chickpeas) and is very similar to Puran Poli.

There are 12th Century Sanskrit texts by King Someshvar of Southern India with references to Puran Poli. In the 13th Century, Marathi script Dyaneshwari mentioned Puran Poli by the name of Mande. Other Marathi scripts such as Kekawali – more than 1,000 years old – also mention this delicacy. The 14th Century Telugu encyclopedia Manucharitra, compiled by Allasani Peddanna from Andhra Pradesh, also mentions the recipe of bakshyam.