Good question. And I was not only surprised but intrigued to find out. It was created for a specific purpose, and faded from popularity after the industry that served it died. But the Bombay Sandwich deserves a revival.
Mashed food writer
Beautiful, perky and veggie…
“The delicious Bombay Sandwich is a famous street food that’s grilled and filled with ingredients like boiled potatoes, onions, beetroot, and spicy green chutney,” Carpenter wrote.
“It may have come about sometime in the 1960s as a way to feed migrants from different parts of India who worked in the textile industry of what is now known as Mumbai (formerly Bombay), but this treat has outlived the mills that once populated the area and emerged as one of the most popular sandwiches in the world.”
‘Bombay’, not ‘Mumbai’
‘The people of former Bombay truly created a local dish and gave it their own name,” Carpenter stresses. No political correctness or cancel culture nonsense here!
It’s sometimes called a Portuguese Sandwich, because the Portuguese (whose culture still dominates Goa, on India’s west coast) did introduce potatoes and western-style bread to India. But the only proper monicker is ‘Bombay’.
Make it your own
It’s also customizable, which is a rare characteristic among Indian foods. Most Indian dishes – from any of the 23 distinct official food regions on the subcontinent – customarily have long, involved ingredient lists and preparation processes. But the Bombay is pretty simple, and quick to throw together. And, unlike traditional Indian dishes, it’s okay – even expected – that you customize yours.
Common additions include spicy peppers, onions, cucumbers and even cheese. In India, that would be Paneer. But you can use any soft, mild, melty cheese that takes your fancy.
Best-kept secret?
“During the 1980s, the demise of the textile industry was triggered by strikes. By the 2000s, those textile mills that helped birth the Bombay sandwich had closed down for good,” Carpenter notes. “Yet this fascinating and delicious treat lives on in many varieties and is loved by people all over the world.” Really?
My take
Either I’ve been blind to it lo these many decades of observing global food culture… Or those who love the Bombay Sandwich have been keeping it a close-held secret.
But now that I know, and have had the opportunity to share it with you, I think the world is about to change for the better. Albeit in one very small, but delicious way!
~ Maggie J.