उकडीचे मोदक

The word ‘modak’ comes from Sanskrit, approximately meaning “a small portion of bliss.”

Having lived for almost 20 years in the eastern side of Maharashtra, the Ganapati festival we celebrated at home—thanks to my mom’s unending enthusiasm—always had ‘fried modaks’ as offerings.

I don’t remember tasting ‘steamed modaks’ in those years. Each time we ate the fried ones, my mom would mention the steamed version. Her subtle way of sharing general knowledge never stopped. I used to call her the living encyclopedia. I was awestruck by the massive store of knowledge she had (and still has) about everything under the sun. And this was all “before” 2000.

I liked the fried modaks—they were tasty. Sometimes, makeshift modaks were also created: round pedhas would be pinched into the modak shape here and there, assuring us that this time we would enjoy such modaks! Ok.

After 2000, I shifted to the western side of Maharashtra. Since then, I’ve always had उकडीचे (ukadiche) ‘steamed modaks’. I don’t recall eating the ‘fried ones’ here on the west side.

Unlike fried modaks, ukadiche modaks are steamed. They are made with a shell of rice flour dough (ukad), filled with a mixture of fresh coconut, jaggery, and cardamom.

In Maharashtra, the traditional ukadiche modak (steamed ones) are most popular in Konkan, Pune, and Western Maharashtra. Fried modaks (talalele or talle modak), however, are more common in the Vidarbha region (Nagpur, Amravati, Wardha side), in rural households where deep-fried sweets are preferred because they last longer without spoiling (unlike steamed modaks, which must be eaten fresh).

The choice between fried and steamed modaks in Maharashtra really comes down to climate, ingredients, and practicality.It’s less about “taste preference” and more about what suited the region’s lifestyle, crops, and weather.

• Rice-eating belts (west Maharashtra): Rice flour dough (ukad) made steaming the natural choice.

• Wheat-eating belts (east Maharashtra): Fried wheat-flour shells made more sense since wheat was more common than rice.

Whether fried or steamed, ‘Modaks’ are sweets and stories of geography, climate, and tradition. They are one the many examples which reflect how food adapts to the land it belongs to and the people who prepare it with devotion! Love this Food anthropology :)