The Bombay sandwich is a popular street food in Mumbai. It is made with boiled potatoes, fresh vegetables and the famous green chutney. But have you ever wondered why the same sandwich tastes different outside the city, even when the ingredients are the same? The secret, it seems, lies in the bread. For more than 50 years, one Mumbai-based brand has been supplying the bread that has become a key part of the city's popular street food. As per a now-viral video, the brand is Wibs, short for Western India Bakers.
"There's one brand that's been quietly holding the Bombay sandwich together for over fifty years and all Mumbaikars know it," the woman said in the video.
Watch the full video below:
Also Read | Video: How Kolkata's Famous Jaggery Rasgullas Are Made In An Automatic Machine
Wibs was started in 1973 by three Irani brothers at Dockyard Road in then Bombay. They began by making sliced white bread, which soon became popular among local sandwich sellers.
The brothers did not just supply bread to local shops. In the early days, they took fresh loaves directly to sandwich sellers. This allowed them to test the quality themselves. Their bread had just the right texture for a Bombay sandwich. It was neither too hard nor too soft and could hold all the layers together without falling apart.
By 2019, Wibs had captured nearly half of Mumbai's sliced bread market. Around 90% of its bread supply went to sandwich sellers. The brand became popular without spending heavily on advertisements.
However, a family dispute temporarily shut down its factory before the COVID pandemic. The shortage was felt across Mumbai. Sandwich sellers had to look for other options, while customers wondered where their favourite bread had gone.
"Sandwichwalas started looking for alternatives, and customers were wondering where their favourite bread had gone," the woman said in the video. Wibs came back a while later and the response was the same.
Also Read | Video: At This 75-Year-Old Jaipur Dairy, Hand-Churned Kesar Pista Makhan Steals The Show
How to make a Bombay sandwich at home?
Here is how you can make this popular Mumbai street food at home.
Ingredients
- White bread
- Coriander chutney
- Vegetables such as boiled potatoes, cucumber, tomatoes and onions. Capsicum and beetroot optional.
- Sandwich masala
How to make
- The first step is to boil potatoes and cut the rest of the veggies.
- Prepare the green chutney.
- Then, take a piece of bread and remove the brown edges.
- Place the boiled potato slices on one piece of bread. Sprinkle some sandwich masala, chaat masala or roasted cumin powder over them.
- Next, add onion slices and sprinkle a little more masala. Follow this with tomato and cucumber slices. You can also add beetroot and capsicum.
- Place the second bread slice on top, with the chutney side facing the vegetables. Press it gently so that all the layers stay together.
- Cut the sandwich into four pieces. You can use sandwich picks to hold the pieces together.
Your homemade Bombay sandwich is ready to serve.
Are you going to try this recipe at home? Let us know in the comments below.