In the bustling streets of Pune, where old peths, colonial railway influence and evolving urban habits intersect, a simple snack reshaped the way the city eats. Chiwda, a light, savoury blend of poha, spices and roasted ingredients, has long been a Maharashtrian household essential. Yet the version that truly transformed Pune’s food identity was the distinct “Laxminarayan style” — a preparation that delivered crispness, balance, aroma and reliability in every bite.
This style, crafted with care and perfected over decades, did more than become a favourite. It changed the rhythm of Pune’s snacking culture. It built rituals around tea-time, influenced how households stocked their kitchens, and created a sense of nostalgia powerful enough to transcend generations.
This is the story of how that style of chiwda became synonymous with Pune itself.
From a Railway Stall to Pune’s Snack Heritage
The earliest chapters of this story begin far from Pune. Shri Laxminarayan Ji first operated a small railway food stall in Rewari during the pre-independence era. The stall eventually shut down, but the experience, flavours and entrepreneurial spirit travelled with him. In 1945, he relocated to Pune, inspired by the diversity of regional tastes he had encountered.
In the city’s growing culinary landscape, he developed a chiwda style unlike anything commonly available. It used thin poha, roasted with precision, mixed with mild spices, nuts, curry leaves and hing. The taste was clean, crisp and soulful. It was light but satisfying. It felt homemade, yet more consistent than most homemade varieties.
What began as a small-scale preparation soon attracted a loyal following across neighbourhoods. As Pune grew, the chiwda grew with it.
Why Pune Connected Instantly With This Style of Chiwda
Pune’s food culture is a blend of tradition, simplicity and convenience. The Laxminarayan style matched the city’s character perfectly.
1. A snack that fit changing lifestyles
Post-independence Pune became a hub for education, industry and migration. More people lived in flats, studied long hours, commuted often and maintained busy working schedules. A snack that was light, reliable and ready-to-eat suited this shift.
2. Everyday usefulness
Earlier, many snacks were seasonal or consumed mainly during festivals. This chiwda made snacking an everyday affair. Households used it for:
- Chai-time
- Quick breakfast
- Tiffin fillers
- Travel food
- Guest serving
- Festival plates
-
After-work snacking
It became a staple — not an occasional indulgence.
3. An affordable, accessible treat
Chiwda brought together families across economic backgrounds. Students, office-goers, grandparents and children all enjoyed it. A flavour so universal created a shared cultural thread across the city.
Craftsmanship Behind the Babus Laxminarayan-Style Identity
What set this chiwda apart was not just the ingredients but the craft.
Precision in roasting
Poha is delicate. Too much heat ruins the texture. Too little heat leaves it chewy. The hallmark of this style was perfectly roasted, feather-light flakes that stayed crisp for days.
Balanced spices
Mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, red chilli, hing and peanuts were used in just the right proportions. The flavour did not overpower the poha. Instead, it elevated it.
Fresh oil and small batches
Fresh edible oil and controlled batch sizes ensured consistent crispness and aroma — one of the reasons families trusted the product repeatedly.
A taste that travelled
People began carrying packets to Mumbai, Nashik, Hyderabad or even abroad. It became a standard Pune gift. Many Pune families abroad still associate the taste with homecomings and childhood holidays.
These craft-driven habits kept the style iconic while other namkeen trends came and went.
How This Chiwda Became a Cultural Icon
The Laxminarayan style did more than introduce a product. It introduced a feeling — one that blended nostalgia, comfort and everyday joy.
1. The “chai partner” phenomenon
Tea-time in Pune changed. Instead of biscuits alone, people began pairing chai with chiwda because it was light, savoury and energising. It became the city’s unofficial five-minute snack ritual.
2. The festival upgrade
Diwali faral plates, Sankranti gatherings and Holi celebrations began featuring chiwda prominently. It symbolised warmth and hospitality. Families packed it in decorative tins, snack boxes and gifting baskets.
3. Travel essentials
Before the rise of packaged travel snacks, families packed chiwda into steel dabbas for long journeys. Train rides, road trips and hostel shifts often began with a packet of chiwda inside the bag.
4. Childhood memories
For many Punekars, the taste is tied to coming home from school, weekend brunches or sharing snacks with cousins. The emotion behind the snack made it part of the city’s identity.
How BLBC Strengthened Pune’s Snack Evolution
In Pune’s bustling food markets and peth areas, BLBC emerged as a reliable name that preserved traditional craft while meeting modern expectations. It honoured the Laxminarayan method with consistency, clean ingredients and careful roasting practices.
Over time, the brand adapted to changing consumer needs by offering variants like:
- Poha Chiwda
- Lite Chiwda
- Cornflakes Chiwda
- Shabuflakes Chiwda
- Mix Farsan
-
Patal Poha Chiwda
Each variant kept the soul of the original style intact. Even as flavours modernised, the approach remained rooted in heritage.
Pune’s snacking culture benefited from this continuity. People could rely on a brand that respected authenticity while offering enough variety to keep pace with evolving habits.
A Snack That Helped Shape Food Commerce in Pune
The growth of chiwda also changed how snacks were sold and consumed in the city.
Rise of branded packaging
As demand increased, packaging evolved from loose, shop scoops to hygienic, sealed, labelled packets with consistent weights and shelf-life indicators.
Shift from seasonal to perennial snacking
Earlier, faral items were bought mainly during festivals. Now, chiwda became a weekly purchase. This shift helped Pune’s snack businesses grow at a scale never seen before.
Emergence of gifting culture
Festive corporate gifting, family hampers and travel gifting often included chiwda, giving local snackers new business avenues.
Influence on newer makers
A clear style and a strong identity encouraged more snack-makers in Pune to create their own blends, leading to a thriving local farsan ecosystem.
How Laxminarayan Style Redefined the Idea of “Pune Taste”
Certain foods define cities: Misal for Kolhapur, Khaja for Bihar, Fafda-Jalebi for Gujarat. For Pune, chiwda — in this distinct style — is one of them.
It symbolises:
- Simplicity
- Lightnes
- Warmth
- Familiarit
- Home-made comfort
-
Trust over generations
Even today, Punekars who move elsewhere often ask visiting relatives to “get chiwda from Pune.” It has become almost a cultural identifier, an edible memory representing the city’s personality.
Conclusion: More Than a Snack : A Cultural Shift
The style of Babus Laxminarayan Best Chiwda did not simply introduce a new flavour. It introduced a new way of snacking. It changed how Pune approached tea-time, gifting, travel, festival faral and family rituals. It brought consistency at a time when most snacks were unbranded, created emotional associations that lasted decades and shaped the city’s culinary language.
A style that began in the 1940s ended up influencing how an entire region snacks. Even today, the crunch of this chiwda carries stories — of Pune lanes, terrace conversations, train journeys, family gatherings and memories passed down through generations.
It is a living piece of Pune’s heritage, surviving trends, shaping habits and continuing to connect people through something beautifully simple: a bowl of chiwda.
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