Britain's favourite side dish Bombay Potatoes

January 25, 2024

The common potato that we enjoy today is said to have first been grown in Peru and Bolivia before being introduced to Europeans in the 16th century by the Spanish. The crop was being grown in some quantity in India during the latter half of the 18th century but it took some time for them to become popular with the general population and were mostly eaten by Europeans during that time period.

Today potatoes are very popular accompaniments to main dishes. Curried potatoes (potato bhajis) go very well with breads such as rolls or ‘pao’, flatbreads or ‘chapatis’ and puris - bread that is deep fried until it puffs up.

Some items are stuffed with potato such as samosas and paratas flatbreads. A masala dosai is another example as it is essentially a large crepe made from a rice and lentil batter, filled with potato. It is also quite common for potatoes themselves to be stuffed and eaten.

Potatoes are also fried as chips or rings but, in places like Bengal and Karnataka, potato peels are also fried until crisp and eaten.