What People in Ahmedabad Eat on a Typical Day
So, you’re curious about what folks in Ahmedabad really eat, day in and day out? It’s more than just what you see in the tourist spots. Here’s a peek into the real food life here in this city in Gujarat, India.
Daily Eating Habits: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Life in Ahmedabad, home to over 6 million people, starts early for many. Breakfast is usually a quick, light affair eaten before heading out. It could be something simple made at home or picked up on the way.
Lunch is often the main meal of the day, especially if eaten at home. It’s usually a proper thali (a plate with various dishes). People working might pack a tiffin (lunchbox) from home or eat at an office canteen or a small restaurant serving thalis.
Dinner is generally lighter than lunch, eaten with family. It’s another chance for home-cooked food, often simpler dishes than the elaborate lunch thali.
Home-Cooked Meals vs. Street Food
Most people in Ahmedabad eat home-cooked food on a daily basis. The typical meal is a balanced thali with roti (flatbread), dal (lentil soup), bhaat (rice), shaak (vegetable curry), and maybe some curd or buttermilk. This is the staple diet.
Street food is incredibly popular, but it’s more for snacks, evening treats, or weekend outings rather than the core daily meals. You’ll find everything from fafda-jalebi in the morning to dhokla, khandvi, pav bhaji, and frankly, dishes from all over India! But the everyday fuel comes from the home kitchen.
Local Ingredients and Spices
Ahmedabad’s food is part of Gujarati cuisine, known for its slight sweetness balanced with spice and tang. Common ingredients include lentils (like tur, moong, chana), various vegetables (like bottle gourd, okra, potatoes, leafy greens), and dairy products (milk, curd, buttermilk, ghee).
Key spices used are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and fenugreek seeds. A unique blend often used is garam masala and sometimes jaggery or sugar is added to vegetable dishes and dals for that signature sweet touch. Besan (chickpea flour) is also very important for snacks like dhokla and fafda.
Traditional Dishes for Festivals or Weekends
Weekends and festivals are when people indulge in special dishes. During festivals like Diwali or Uttarayan (Kite Festival), you might find families making Undhiyu (a mixed vegetable casserole often cooked in an earthen pot), Poori (fried flatbread), and various sweets like Mohanthal, Ghooghra, or Magas.
On weekends, people might make Dal Baati Churma (a Rajasthani dish popular here too), Dhikla (steamed rice flour dish), or enjoy a richer Gujarati thali with more varieties of shaak, farsan (savory snacks), and sweets. Going out for a proper Gujarati thali restaurant meal is also a weekend tradition for some families.
Popular Snacks and Drinks
Ahmedabad is famous for its snacks, known as ‘farsan’. Everyday snacks include Dhokla (steamed savory cake), Khandvi (rolled gram flour snacks), Sev Usal, Dabeli, and Pav Bhaji. In the mornings, Fafda (crispy snack made from gram flour) with Jalebi (sweet fried spirals) is a classic breakfast snack combo.
For drinks, Chaas (buttermilk) is extremely popular, especially during the hot months, as it’s cooling and helps digestion. Tea (chai) is a staple morning and evening drink. Fresh fruit juices and sugarcane juice are also common, especially from street vendors.
Cultural Food Taboos or Unique Rituals
A significant cultural aspect of food in Ahmedabad and Gujarat is that a large portion of the population follows a strict vegetarian diet. Meat, poultry, and eggs are generally avoided. Some communities also avoid onion and garlic.
There’s also a strong tradition of serving food generously and insisting guests eat more. Food is often offered to deities before being eaten. Wasting food is frowned upon. Eating together as a family, especially dinner, is an important ritual.