Matunga Market: the 'Little South India' of Mumbai

Markets are a lens into a locality or region's food habits, and food habits are a reflection of a larger food culture. Matunga market, a South Indian oasis in the city of Mumbai is exactly this.

Since I moved to Bombay, I can't deny that I've missed Bangalore and all things South Indian. One of the things I've missed most sorely is of course my daily dose of filter coffee!

So when I got the opportunity to visit Matunga Market, the 'Little South India' of Mumbai - of course, I jumped at it!

Matunga is home to a large Tamil Brahmin community who have been residing here for decades, which explains this South Indian flavour. This market presumably developed and grew here to their daily needs, and eventually also the needs of other South Indian communities around Mumbai, like Malayalis and Konkanis.

Various bananas for the varying banana needs of the Malayalis 

Naranga - a variety of lime that is typically available in Kerala only around the time of Onam and used to make pickle for the sadhya

All kinds of banana sweet meats and Kerala style papads

And due to the concentrated availability of various South Indian produce, a lot of which is hard to come by in the markets of other localities, residents from all over Mumbai make trips to Matunga East to stock up.

One lady I met happened to be a Konkani Sarawat (the same community to which my maternal side of the family belongs). Happy to have bumped into a fellow Konkani by change like this, we exchange a quick conversation in our language. I found out that she was buying tender bamboo shoots - called keerla in Konkani, and that she makes a weekly trip to this market all the way from her home in Santacruz west to stock up on South Indian veggies and supplies.

Apart from the vegetables, the market has all kinds of other wares too- from banana chips, upperi and coconut oil to Bharatnaatyam costumes and jewellery!

And of course, it is filled with "Udupi"  restaurants that serve idlis, dosas, bisi bele bhat (!!!) and of course, the frothy, sweet ambrosia that pumps life back into my South Indian blood - filter coffee!!

As you can imagine, I came home one satisfied little South Indian citizen.

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