What does the 1860 American Civil War have to do with Mumbai’s pride pav bhaji? Everything, it turns out!

The story goes that the war cut off the world market from the Southern United States’ main cash crop — King cotton.

This led to an increase in the demand for the crop, and cotton mill owners in Bombay (now Mumbai) leapt at this opportunity.

They bagged large orders from around the world and mill workers worked around the clock to meet the demands.

While working long hours, the workers looked for food options that would be quick to eat and easy on the pocket.

Street food vendors used this opportunity to innovate a new dish.

They mashed stale and cheap vegetables with an intense mix of masala and served it with leftover bread from bakeries toasted in butter.

Another story suggests that it was the Portuguese who introduced pav to the city. Pav gets its name from one quarter in a section of four, which is how the bun is baked.

From its humble beginnings in textile mills to one of India’s street food favourites, pav bhaji has come a long way.