This snack has become a national treasure of India.

According to CNN Travel, "bhujia" is described as a crispy, golden-brown fried snack that resembles noodles and is sold everywhere from small roadside stalls to upscale cocktail bars in India. However, only in Bikaner—a city in Rajasthan near India's northwestern border—is bhujia recognized as authentic.

This snack is truly delicious, its main ingredient being a local type of bean. However, bhujia can also be made with other ingredients such as potatoes. The city of Bikaner never lacks the ingredients to make this dish. Local people often start working at 4 am to make bhujia and can produce up to 250 tons of bhujia before the day ends.

Bhujia thật sự rất ngon, làm từ một loại đậu địa phương được gọi là — Bhujia is truly delicious, made from a local bean flour called "moth flour" or wheat flour, seasoned with traditional spices. Another popular variation – aloo bhajia – replaces the flour with potatoes.

A dish steeped in 150 years of history.

The story begins in 1877, when Shri Dungar Singh, the Sultan of Bikaner, requested a quick savory dish from the royal kitchen to serve guests at the palace. The royal chefs then invented bhujia. News of bhujia quickly spread, and many local households began making it themselves. In 1946, a local entrepreneur, Ganga Bishan Agarwal, opened a small shop selling this snack. After a decade, Agarwal left town, and bhujia became even more widely popular. Many businesspeople traced the origins of the dish and began discovering its wonders.

Today, most bhujia producers are people originating from Bikaner. However, this doesn't mean bhujia can be produced just anywhere. For true bhujia enthusiasts, only bhujia from Bikaner is the "authentic" version, true to its original quality.

Bikaner là thủ phủ của món ăn vặt bhujia — Bikaner is the capital of bhujia (Japanese street food).

In 2010, bhujia was granted a geographical indication by the Indian government due to its popularity. Now, only establishments located in Bikaner are allowed to use the word "Bikaneri" on the label of their bhujia packages (also known as bhujia Bikaneri), much like only certain regions of France produce Champagne.

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Despite its popularity, bhujia (a type of Vietnamese pastry) is only a small-scale industry in Bikaner. Currently, it provides employment for approximately 2.5 million people, primarily women in the surrounding villages.

From a beloved local brand to a global brand.

CNN Travel quoted Deepak Agarwal, a descendant of the Ganga Bishan family – the "big boss" of Bikaneri bhujia village today: "The miracle is the air, the arid climate here."

“While the rest of the family gradually moved elsewhere, my father decided to settle here and start his business. You won’t be able to get the same taste of bhujia in Bikaner even if you export the raw materials from here to produce it elsewhere,” said Deepak Agarwal.

"The arid climate, a special type of red chili pepper called longi mirch, combined with local spices and the region's salty water, are also important components in the making of this snack," he added.

According to culinary expert Dr. Chef Saurabh, Bikaneri bhujia is not just a dish, but an emotion. There is a difference in taste when enjoyed at its source. And Bikaneri bhujia is a perfect example.

Ngày nay, hầu hết các doanh nghiệp sản xuất bhujia đều là người có nguồn gốc từ Bikaner — Today, most bhujia manufacturers are run by people of Bikaner origin.

And now, bhujia is a globally popular snack. In 2019, international food giant Kellogg's considered acquiring a stake in Haldiram Snacks, the producer of Bikaner's best-selling bhujia, although the deal was later cancelled. Similarly, PepsiCo attempted to launch its own bhujia product in 1996. The masala-flavored product, called Lehar, couldn't compete with Bikaner's classic bhujia and eventually disappeared from store shelves.

In remote areas, bhujia can be found on Walmart shelves in New Jersey, and this is a real treat for fans of the dish.

"There are a lot of Indian people living here. We can find this dish not only at Walmart and Indian stores but also on Amazon. Sometimes I eat bhujia with burgers or sandwiches. Indian food can be combined with foreign dishes and it's great," said Aartee Sodhani, an Indian immigrant in New Jersey.

For Sodhani and other Indians abroad, bhujia has brought the taste of India to the world. And bhujia has emerged from the desert alleys of a small town in northwestern India to become a global dish.