Saoji

Districts / Region

Saoji is a specialty of Vidarbha, especially from the Nagpur region.

Ingredients and Short Recipes

Said to be the signature cuisine of Nagpur. The taste of the food is gained by the various spices. The curries are made with trotters (paya), chicken and offal, and cooked with a host of spices. This is a community-specific cuisine from Central India. Though this is so, the Halba or Halba Koshti community have made their cultural identity in Maharashtra by the unique spice preparations. There are 32 odd spices used by them in the preparations of three types. One is known as Bhukri Masala, which has 12 ingredients. Kala Masala has 20 ingredients, while fresh garlic, ginger, cumin and onion is used as Batlo. Some of the popular dishes you can try are prawns, fish and egg curries, chicken and goat meat served with Indian flatbread and rice. These recipes range from spicy to very spicy. They are known for their hot and spicy food tradition.

History

Though the spices and the food preparations known as Savji are believed to be introduced in the Nagpur region in the 20th century CE; cuisine had the tradition in the central Indian community of Halba for centuries.

Cultural Significance

Halba or Halba Koshti community belonged to central India, who had migrated to the Vidarbha region and established their cultural identity through cuisine. Their spices are recognised in the recent past as a culinary speciality and their ethnic identity.