A bhaji or bajji is a type of

fritter A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...

originating in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. It is made from spicy hot vegetables, commonly

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

, and has several variants. It is a popular snack food in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It can be found for sale in street-side stalls, especially in '' tapris'' (on streets) and '' dhabas'' (on highways). It is also a common starter or side dish in Anglo-Indian cuisine across the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

for the largest onion bhaji is held by one weighing made by Oli Khan and Team of Surma Takeaway

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...

on 4 February 2020.

Regional varieties

Outside Southern and Western India, such preparations are often known as '' pakora''. Its variations include the chili bajji, potato bajji, onion bajji, plantain bajji and the bread bajji (or bread pakora). Another version is called bonda (in south India), vada (in Maharashtra) and gota (in Gujarat). Bonda has potato or mixed-vegetable filling while gota is made with green fenugreek leaves.

Cultural significance

Bhajis are a component of traditional Punjabi

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

and Gujarati, Marathi,

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

, Kannada and

Telugu cuisine Andhra cuisine, culturally known as Telugu cuisine, is a cuisine of India native to the state of Andhra Pradesh and is the culinary style of Telugu people. It is generally known for its tangy, hot, and spicy taste. Regional variations The r ...

s served on special occasions and at festivals. They are generally served with a cup of

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

, or a traditional serving of ''yameen''. Banana peppers are used for making mirchi bhajji. Onion bhajis are often eaten as a starter in

Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...

restaurants before the main course, along with '' poppadoms'' and other Indian snacks. They may be served with a side of salad and a slice of lemon, or with mango chutney, and are traditionally made to a mild taste.

Gallery

File:Banana Peppers.jpg, Banana pepper used in mirchi bhaji File:A closeup of Bajji.JPG, A close-up of bajji File:The Bajji maker.jpg, Preparation of bajjis in

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

File:Bajji's ;) (5549256969).jpg, A variant: aloo bajji File:Onion bajji picture.JPG, Onion bajji File:कांदा भजी.jpg, Kanda bhaji

References

External links

* {{Doughnuts Appetizers Indian snack foods Pakistani snack foods Fritters Tamil cuisine Onion-based foods