Gobi Manchurian Ban in Goa: Origins and Controversy

Key Points

• 1The Mapusa Municipal Council in North Goa banned gobi manchurian at the Bodgeshwar temple zatra due to hygiene concerns and the use of synthetic colors and Ajinomoto.
• 2The ban was specifically targeted at gobi manchurian stalls, with the council citing complaints and restricting the dish's sale even at other events.
• 3Some suggest the ban reflects anti-outsider sentiments, as many vendors of gobi manchurian are not native to Goa.
• 4Gobi manchurian is an Indian creation, the vegetarian version of chicken manchurian, and was likely created in the 1980s.
• 5The dish is a mix of Punjabi and Chinese, and is popular in South India, with the dish also being restricted in other parts like Mormugao.