 Shop selling Bikaneri bhujia | |
| Alternative names | Bhujia |
|---|---|
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | India |
| Region or state | Bikaner,Rajasthan |
| Main ingredients | Vigna aconitifolia,gram flour,groundnut oil |
| Variations | Sev |
Bikaneri bhujia, often simply calledbhujia, is a crispysnack prepared by usingVigna aconitifolia,gram flour and spices, originating fromBikaner, a city in the western state ofRajasthan in India. It is light yellow in colour. Bhujia has become not just a characteristic product of Bikaner, but also a generic name.[1]
Bikaneri bhujia is acottage industry in Bikaner, Rajasthan, and provides employment to around 2.5 million people in villages of the region, especially women. Recently, it has faced competition from multinational companies like Pepsico as well as Indian snack companies, which have used the name bhujia.[2][3] After struggling with numerous copycats over the years, in September 2010, theIndian Patent Office confirmed thegeographical indication rights and a patent was issued for the brand nameBikaneri bhujia to local manufacturers of Bikaner.[4][5][6]
In 1877, during the reign of Maharaja ShriDungar Singh, the first batch of bhujia was produced in theprincely state of Bikaner.[7]
A dough ofmoth bean,garbanzo bean,gram flour and spices including powdered cellulose, salt, red chilli, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, etc. is made into the snack by pressing it through a sieve and deep frying in vegetable oil.[8]
In October 2008, Bikaneri bhujia was grantedGeographical Indication protection.[9][10] A registered GI tag ensures only authorized users are allowed to use the product name.
