The strongest binding factor that runs through the fabric of Ahmedabad would be a love for its        food. From the time of the British Raj, the most important member of the sahib's vast retinue of servants would be his cook or 'Maharaj'. A practice that continues till today. Thus it follows that Ahmedabadis are genuine food lovers, they meet up socially to eat, their pastime is to cook and feed and no true-blue Ahmedabadi can do without his fill of fafda and khaman dhokla. They are masters at it; you will not get tastier farsans and chivdas anywhere else. In fact, so intense is their love for their own cuisine that there is just one Italian restaurant in the whole city! The rest are authentic Gujarati restaurants. So while Ahmedabad may be a melting pot in terms of its locals, it is not so gastronomically.

There is no better way to sample the cuisine than by visiting different areas or pols. The most well known of all and one that sells the all-time favourite snack, is samosa galli.  There is a whole street lined with shops selling them, at the Navtad ni Pol, a short drive away from the centre of the city. Here, you get samosas, of a different kind,  smaller in size and in mouthwatering varieties. So famous are these, that it is said, no-one leaves Ahmedabad without eating them and  packing a few to take home!   Business must be good, for the samosa is the common man's savoury. At one of the shops school children are jostling each other to buy some.

 A few shops down the road, is BR Mody's little eatery. Here the samosas sell like hotcakes."Did you know this area was called Navtad ni Pol because of the taad trees that grew here?" he starts.  Mody's shop was established by his father almost 40 years ago. Now he runs it. The smiling man can give you a history of the city but it is peak business hour and he must scuttle about to keep up with the  demand that is gaining momentum outside. He is about to fry a fresh batch of samosas. They've been sent from the living quarters above the little shop, where his mother and wife roll out the dough and cut it into strips. But there is a special knack of making them, he points out. The maida dough has to be folded in a patti form, not like the large folds one sees in Bombay or Delhi. Thus the name patti samosas. The ground spices and other ingredients used, are all home made.

It is 8 am in Navtad ni Pol and like most establishments here, Mody's open early. After all, samosas are considered a breakfast dish in Ahmedabad. You will be amazed at the number of people that subject their gastric juices to the samosas that early in the day. For the non-spicy palate, there are aloo (potato) ones, or chana dal (lentil) and mutter (peas) with a little masala . They are served  piping hot, fried in peanut oil. Most foods are fried in this oil as peanut grows in abundance in Gujarat. There is a special moong dal variety available on Sundays only. A special chutney goes with the samosas. It is Mody's secret recipe and he will not give it out for anything in the world. It is served in a small bowl, a mixture of khajur (dates), kothmir (fresh coriander), pudina (fresh mint), green chillies and a dash of tamarind to give it that tangy taste. 

A plate of seven pieces costs Rs. 7  and Mody manages to sell around 800 samosas a day! But he complains about inflation. "Not much profit in the business now," he says. "Earlier gas, oil and vegetables were cheaper but everything is much costlier now."

There are farsan shops here too. You will get the best gathiya, chavannu, shankarpari, dalmuth, kachori and chana everyday till 10 pm, there is no shortage of clientele.

 Walk past a couple of avenues, past the Kavi Dalpatrai Chowk and you  come to B. Saurashtra Farsan House,  specialist in banana chips. It is an extremely small establishment, no ambience, nothing. But the locals here, swear by the wafers one gets here. The floor is occupied by a huge kadai of hot oil and a huge variety of bananas lie strewn about like the nendrakkai bananas from Kerala. It is as open air as it gets, so all thought of hygiene must be banished from the mind if you wish to buy your  banana chips from here. They sell the packets in pepper, salt or mixed spices from 7 a.m., when the shutters go up. The bananas are peeled and cut into circles faster than they are fried.


An Evening At Law Garden

Every city must have a khau galli or food street and for Ahmedabad, Law Garden dons that mantle. If it is possible do make an evening trip here, it is when you can enjoy a mix of Gujarati, Punjabi and Maharashtrian food at its best. For the yuppie crowd it is the place to hang out;  youngsters park their bikes, people drive up in cars, some just wander in, having heard of the place and want to try it out.  The best part is that Law Garden offers a dual experience, food and shopping, for the lane across the road stocks the most colourful bandhni and mirror work items. 

Outsiders may be forgiven for thinking that this is the city's most happening eating spot. Sunday evenings, when Law Garden is jam-packed, the main road that leads to it sees an unending stream of traffic. Everyone seems to meet here. The fafdas, dhoklas and khamans of Ahmedabad hold their own against the great demand for fast foods like pav-bhajis, bhelpuris, pizzas and kulfis taken care of by a smorgasbord of little larries or food carts. Little plastic tables and chairs are lined before each stall with petromax lamps. Some food carts have cleverly bagged spots beneath the street lights and do not need them, and others who come in their vehicles,  simply turn on the headlamps to illuminate their little party! The food of course, is finger-lickin' good.

Old Pizza who has been around for 20 years makes sure the base of the dish he serves is crispy, that is what brings back customers, says the owner. Get your pizza with the works here - generous toppings of onion, capsicum, cheese and tomatoes all at Rs. 30, it's a steal!

Subhash Asharfi of Asharfi Kulfi calls himself the 'King of Kool Kulfi'. He has two branches at the Law Garden itself. From Roasted Kaju Badam, to Raj Bhog, Mawa Badam and Bonanza, which has no flavour or colour, just dryfruit, milk and cream, there are 26 varieties to choose from here. Have either a full serving at Rs 60 or half at Rs. 30. "There's no milavat (adulteration)," says the proprietor. He uses only buffalo milk that is delivered fresh every morning from the Vijapur village, which is 200 km away. 

A little distance away is Chota Asharfilal, who sells faloodas. No show here, it is just a small cart by the road mind you, but if you're the sort to throw caution to the wind, try his varieties. You'll find half the crowd following suit. Where Chota Asharfilal has lost out in terms of space and pageantry, he has made up with creativity. A Kuch Kuch Hota falooda anyone?

Post the meal, most of the crowd head towards Kwality Kharek, a churan seller, for a round of digestives, comprising betel nuts and cumin.

If you have a brood of kids with you, there's something for them too. An amusement park called Chiti Bang Chiti Bang, (someone has got their movie trivia wrong), has a go-karting arena, ferris wheels rides and several  round-abouts for smaller children. Over the honking of traffic outside, you can hear the latest film music blaring through speakers. A fun time for sure.


Raipur Bhajiya House

Ahmedabad is also a bhajiya city. Bhajiyas are relished as much as any other food, and at any time of the day, breakfast too. You'll find the bhajiyas made almost everywhere and all the folk from high society people to the man on the road relish them with gusto. The Raipur Bhajiya House is perhaps the best known seller of them. It is at the Raipur Darwaza (one of the 11 gates of the city) and as you  approach the gate from across the road the aroma of fresh hot bhajiyas reaches you halfway to it. The place is so famous, anybody will direct you to it. A small unit of Raipur Bhajiyas is quite at the gate itself. But this is not the sales counter, bhajiyas are made here on a huge kadai, which operates on hot coals and needs to be stoked every now and then. The retail counter is nearby. Most Ahmedabadis tend to refer to the latter as the Raipur House. The speciality of the bhajiyas can best be judged on eating them. They are soft dumplings with piquant cumin spices used sparingly so as to not over ride the flavour of the gramflour. The difference  you will find, is that the potato variety, is cut thick and each bhajiya is a mouthful, not like the wafer-thin varieties one gets in the city. At Rs 70 a kg, there is a mixed fare - from aloo to palak, methi and mirchi bhajiyas. The methi gotas are a trademark speciality too. There are no accompaniments to the savoury here, no sauces and the like, the management would rather you enjoy the taste of the bhajiyas on their own. That is wise indeed. On any given day, (they are open on Sundays too), it is a common sight to see people queuing up from opening hours; a little later in the day some  pick up a few plates to have with their midday meal. It's also not uncommon to see some folk buying 20 and 30 kilos of hot Raipur bhajiyas which makes him a party caterer of sorts too. Word has it that the Raipur Bhajiya House sells around 400 kgs of bhajiyas daily. Judging by the thronging crowd, we'd say that the figure must be two fold at least.

It must have been hard work to set up such an establishment  and make it so succssful, given that this is an item that can be easily made at home. To stand in the face of that and go one up on it, is an incredible success story indeed. From the small makeshift cooking unit, that started 73 years ago, business has bloomed into a second branch that opened shutters one and a half years ago at the Nehru Nagar Char Rasta. By the way things are going, Raipur Bhajiya House might spread its wings further  and set off to greener pastures.