Traditional Indian Bar Snacks That Are Unbelievably Delicious
It's no secret that Indians love their alcohol. Ancient texts bear testimony to the fact that not only did ancient Indians enjoy their tipple but also loved having a variety of snacks. And flavours ranged anything from spicy to sour, bitter to sweet. It’s unsurprising, given that a country so diverse would surely have a rich variety of munchies to be consumed alongside spirits. The epic Mahabharata contains an episode mentioning various alcoholic beverages served along with sugared or salted cakes and sub-acid fruits as well as fried birds and wine biscuits
Punjab
The land of Patiala peg surely has innumerable bar snacks that it can celebrate. Some of them include deep-fried, ajwain-peppered Amritsari fish, smoky tandoori chicken made using traditional bhatti, tawa mutton or grilled goat meat. For vegetarians, the region offers paneer tikka covered in orange marinade and chana chaat with a squeeze of lime.
Kerala
India's southernmost state offers a delectable variety of drinking snacks that pack a punch when it comes to flavour. Toddy shops serve a cornucopia of dishes. From spiced peanuts and boiled eggs to more filling dishes such as beef dry fried, duck roast, fried mussels, and spiced clams. The tangy heat-filled pickle assortments are to die for. Make sure you don’t skip these!
Coastal Karnataka
The neighbouring state of Kerala has equally zesty food to offer. Crunchy treats of small fishes which are pasted with byadgi chilli mixture, rolled in semolina, deep fried; fried pork fat with a touch of meat, the list is simply mouthwatering.
Coorg, Karnataka
Coorg, too, has many flavourful dishes but one of them stands out. Batii Chutney, made using offal, mainly spleen and liver, is pounded with red hot chillies and garlic. This mixture is then rolled into gummy balls. Coorg also is famous for its chilli pork. The pork is made with lots of chillies, garlic, and tart kachampuli vinegar, The drier versions of the classic pandi curry are notable dishes from this region.
Andhra Pradesh
The Idigas of this region make a dish of goat tripe called nallavanta. This dish has a unique metallic taste due to the addition of little blood which is added to it while cooking it.
Saoji/Savji eateries or khanavalis, Karnataka and Maharashtra
These eateries serve a simple yet extremely addictive dish called khara boti which literally means salted meat. It is a no-nonsense yet delectable meal that consists of meat cooked with salt, showing that sometimes simple ingredients can make the most finger-licking delicious dishes. Another popular food served here is the kaima unde which means spiced meatballs. These meatballs are peppered with herbs and fresh green chillies and then tossed with fried onions.
Goa
The party capital of India surely has some of the best traditional bar foods. From the humble raw mango slices seasoned with chili powder and salt, boiled eggs sprinkled with chaat masala to prawn cutlets and clam cutlets, this region's bar snack options are gobsmackingly yummy. Plus, it also boasts of a more elaborate Portuguese-Goan snack called rissoles which are simply fried pastry dough stuffed with meat or fish. Other honourable mentions are chickpea salad, boiled sausages, and Goan-samosas which have fillings of either minced beef or chicken.
Odisha
In the tribal belt of Western Odisha, some snacks are consumed with rice-based liquor called handiya. They include puta bhaja which is goat tripe cooked with spices; kala anda, which is red ants and their eggs stir-fried or pounded with salt and chilies; sautéed jhari poka (macrotermes). Coastal Odisha too boasts delicious bar snacks. Sukhua bhaja i.e. dried fish cooked with spices and shallow fried is one such snack. Pork kassa or pork braised with spices is also a beloved bar food in the tribal belts.
Assam
In this region too, red ant eggs along with silkworm pupae and smoked river fish are consumed with the locally made rice wine. Rice wine is also consumed during festivals and accompanied with pork cooked with indigenous leafy greens like dimoru paat or fig leaves and mesaki paat or ombe leaves or with dried jute leaves. The Ahom community traditionally pair rice wine with roasted rice flour called hando guri and pork cooked with the yeast residue from rice wine.
Sikkim
This northeastern state pairs locally-made brew with minced beef and semi-cooked rice or semolina sausages. These are seasoned with local herbs and spices and served with a fiery chutney made of fireball chillies.
