Food & Dining:

   Solapur is basically a religious abode for many people in India and Maharashtra. It is situated in a

Hindu pilgrimage route, and caters to the pilgrims and tourists traveling to the neighboring state

of Karnataka as well. So the restaurants available mainly offer a vegetarian cuisine. The names of

the restaurants often have a religious meaning or something to do with the Hindu religion, like ‘Annapurna’, who is the Goddess of Anna, meaning food. In a wider sense she is a goddess who gives spiritual and material support to all who pray to her. Also the Restaurant ‘Upasana” in the Hotel “Tripursundari” has a religious connotation. Upasana is another word for meditation or worship of the deity.

   There is a large range of hotels with restaurants catering to prices, which all can afford. Some

luxurious places offer continental as well as Chinese food with their Indian delicacies. India is famous

for its hospitality and guests at a restaurant are given individual attention and all their needs are

looked after.

   As I mentioned earlier, Solapur has many pilgrims, especially during the Hindu festivals. Often food

is served to the pilgrims in the temples starting with simple rice, vegetables and lentils, but topped

with a pudding, which is famous in Solapur and is called ‘lapshi’. It is made of broken wheat or cracked wheat mixed with jaggery or sugar. The wheat’s grainy texture lends this dish a special flavor.

   One cannot find standard fast-food joints like Mac Donald’s and Pizza Hut, but the local fast food joints are called ‘Dhabas’, where meals are provided cooked in small hutments, or a make-shift garage, converted into a restaurant. A vegetarian meal with rice, Indian wheat bread, lentils, two types of vegetables and a pudding is called a ‘Thali’ and is more than enough to fill your stomach. Often food is unlimited and the guests get a refill as many times as they like. One of the famous dhabas is the Reliance A1 Dhaba and is frequented by bus-travelers or families and groups of students traveling by road.

   Food kiosks, coffee shops and canteens are mushrooming in Solapur in close proximity of business centers and colleges and educational institutions. Today Solapur is a city frequented by business tourists. So there are various categories of hotels, from the 1-star to the 5-star ones, which can

cater to all your needs. All these hotels serve typical food from Maharashtra, but

can ask for food that suits their taste as well.