What is Pathare Prabhu cuisine? Inside Mumbai’s hidden world of seafood, spices and tradition

For decades, Pathare Prabhu cuisine was locked up in the kitchens of one of the most ancient groups in Mumbai. The Pathare Prabhus, who are thought to be among the first inhabitants of the city, kept the recipe tradition alive generation after generation. This small Maharashtrian community, numbering about 7,000 people globally, developed a unique culinary tradition.

Pathare Prabhu cuisine: A tradition shaped by coast, community and craft

The Pathare Prabhu people hail from a long line that began in Nepal before ending up in Mumbai via Gujarat. They were affected by this migration in terms of language, culture, and food. The food of the Pathare Prabhu is unique and different from other cuisines like Maharashtrian, Malvani, Konkani, and Goan food.

The uniqueness of Pathare Prabhu cuisine lies in their seafood cuisine. Being located near the coastal areas of Mumbai, they made use of highly valued fish such as ghol fish, rawas, pomfret, prawns, crabs, and lobsters. While it is quite common in other Maharashtrian communities to cook chicken and mutton, Pathare Prabhu cuisine revolved only around seafood.

Another distinctive characteristic of the Pathare Prabhu cuisine is the coconut. Unlike other Marathis who mostly use grated coconut, Pathare Prabhus make use of coconut milk and cream to prepare their thick gravies known as sambares. Spices are just as crucial to the Pathare Prabhus. The unique parbhi masala differs from one family to another and may have 16-20 ingredients.

Examples of some of the popular foods are Chimbori che Khadkhadle, which is crab cooked with garlic and coconut milk, Tomato chi Sheer with prawns, Bombil Methkut, Kolambi che Atle, and Kairi che Kharone, prepared using raw mango and coconut milk. One such cherished product is Parbhi Pao, which is homemade bread prepared with yeast.

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