How India’s Haldiram bhujia put Bikaner snacks on the world map

A century after their creation, the cheap bites are protected by the country's government in recognition of the artisans still perfecting them at home

Rewat Ram cooks 200kg of bhujia every day in Rajasthan, India. Anmol Arora for The National

Of the many crisscrossing lanes snaking through Bara Bazaar in Bikaner, is one named after and dedicated to bhujia. This is dotted with shops selling all manner of these savoury and sweet snacks.

Like many cities in the state of Rajasthan and across India, rickshaws, people and cows jostle for space here, but what makes the Bhujia Bazaar stand out is its connection to one of India’s best-loved snacks: the Bikaneri version of bhujia.

Bhujia Bazaar, a market dedicated to all things bhujia within Bara, is also home to the first Haldiram store from the early 1920s. Like the brand Xerox has become synonymous with photocopying and Post-it stands in for any kind of sticky note, Haldiram’s has come to mean bhujia to millions of Indians worldwide – including in the UAE where packets of the snack are widely available.

The crispy fried snack, which is made with different flours and a medley of spices, is enjoyed as an accompaniment to chai or even with a curry, plus serves as the perfect crunchy topping on poha, chaat and other Indian street foods.

Bikaneri bhujia stands out for its use of moth or dew beans, a drought-resistant legume grown in abundance in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan. This small bean, alongside the culinary expertise of bhujia karigars, or artisans, has earned Bikaneri bhujia a Geographical Indication tag from the government of India, which recognises its specific geographical origins and reputation, and helps preserve the industry. The tag was renewed last year.

Visiting the old town of Bikaner, it's clear what makes its namesake snack and the genericised brand behind it so special: decades of dedication.

"I have been making bhujia for 30 years,” says Rewat Ram, an artisan who starts work at 5am. When I visit him at Acharya Chowk, a neighbourhood of bhujia makers and sellers, he is busy preparing the batter and frying the bhujia simultaneously.

The conversation does not stall as he expertly mixes the moth bean flour with spices and water, even as the groundnut oil bubbles in the cauldron. He drops large handfuls of the batter on a perforated brass sancha (ladle) placed over the fiery pot, then uses his palm to grate the batter into the hot oil.

As the slivers of batter fry, he quickly collects the hot, crispy bhujia from the cauldron and transfers the batch onto a big thaal.

Ram works with shops across the city and helps them prepare their bhujia stock. “I make around two quintals of bhujia [200kg] from 120kg of moth flour in one day," says Ram, who attributes the high quality of Bikaneri bhujia to the town’s climate and the unique history of the Haldiram family's enterprising spirit.

Every local has a different origin story for Bikaneri bhujia, yet most would agree the man behind the beloved snack is Ganga Bishan Agarwal, aka Haldiram. In her book Bhujia Barons, Pavitra Kumar traced Haldiram's first foray into the market with this snack back to 1918. "This family business survived 100 years of change and challenges to become one of India's most-loved packaged food brands today," writes Kumar.

It all started with the small store in Bhujia Bazaar where Haldiram himself would make and sell his product to local buyers. His sons and grandsons went on to establish their own brands, such as Prabhuji, under the Haldiram name and even launched operations in different regions, from Delhi to Nagpur.

Of these, Bikaji, launched by Haldiram’s grandson Shiv Ratan Agarwal, continues to operate from Bikaner. Deepak Agarwal, managing director of Bikaji Foods International, tells The National: “The geography of Bikaner and the vegetation of moth here gives us an added advantage.”

The Haldiram clan aside, bhujia's popularity brought up other local manufacturers and sellers as well. While some have become renowned brands of their own, others continue to make and sell smaller quantities in their neighbourhoods. One such person is Ashok Khatri, who learnt how to make bhujia from his father and uncle, and now operates a store in Bhujia Bazaar.

"Every shop has its own set of customers. I make mota [thick] bhujia that no one else makes in this market. A customer who wants this type of bhujia would come only to me only. The bareek [small and crispy] bhujia doesn't sell as well at my shop as others are better known for it," says Khatri.

In terms of flavour, customers can choose from garlic, lemon and mint bhujia, plus different levels of spice.

Initially, bhujia used to be a cheap commodity, explains Khatri. “It fed the labourers who used to do petty work and earned very less, as bhujia was cheaper than roti," he says, adding that they would feed their children bhujia and water. It sells for between 50 to 250 Indian rupees per kilogramme now [$0.60 to $3.05].

While many not from Bikaner have only eaten packaged bhujia, locals only buy the freshly made kind and enjoy it with nearly every meal.

Devashish Acharya, a Bikaner resident, says: “The people here eat less and like to enjoy what they eat. We Bikaneris say 'swad aa gaya' [we got the full flavour] when we enjoy something.”

Bhujia makers and sellers in Bikaner recognise the needs of their immediate clientele. Ashish Acharya, an artisan whose family have been in the industry for nearly 60 years, says: “No one here will buy even one-day-old bhujia; it gets made fresh and sold the same day, every day.”

He explains that hot-from-the-cauldron bhujia is sour, sweet and savoury at the same time, giving me a fistful to try. No one here buys before tasting.

Khatri reveals he even fresh packs in bulk to loyal customers, many of whom have left the city, but cannot leave the local bhujia behind. "If they go out travelling, for even 10 days, they take bhujia with them," he says with a laugh.

Local love for the snack aside, its popularity in India and abroad has led to massive commercial success, even for the packaged kind.

Agarwal says Bikaji produces 29,380 tonnes of Bikaneri bhujia annually. "Factors such as the increasing Indian population, the popularity of Indian cuisine and the growing demand for ethnic snacks contribute to the market's potential, in India and those countries where there are many Indians, such as the UAE.”

Bikaji, like its competitors, has come up with a catalogue of products beyond the basic, humble bhujia in keeping with market demand. As the next generation of bhujia makers reap the benefits of what Haldiram put in motion, bhujia has also transformed Bikaner from a sleepy city to one at the helm of a commercially successful cottage industry.