Desh · Deccan Inland Plateau
Bakarwadi, amba barfi and mithai
An offshoot of a Chitale family dairy started at Bhilawadi in Sangli district in 1939. The Pune shop's fixed opening hours and refusal to extend them were locally famous long before they became an internet joke.
Shrewsbury biscuits
An Irani bakery that sells out most mornings and does not deliver.
Mastani
One of the shops that made the drink a Pune category rather than a single recipe.
Puneri misal
Sweeter and less fierce than the Kolhapur style, and a reference point for the difference.
Kolhapuri misal with unlimited kat
Named for the Khasbag maidan nearby; the tarri is refilled until you stop asking.
Tambda and pandhra rassa with mutton thali
One of the long-running mutton houses where the two-rassa service is standard rather than a novelty.
Kolhapuri chappal bought from the makers
Worth knowing that a genuine vegetable-tanned pair is heavy, stiff for weeks and outlasts several cheap imitations; the imitations are what most visitors buy.
Turmeric, and the underground curing pits behind it
A working commodity market rather than a visitor site, and best seen on an auction morning.
Kolhapuri Saaj and silver ornament work
Ask for a full twenty-one-pendant saaj to see the named motifs; most shops sell shortened versions.
Tanpuras and sitars, made to order
A handful of families in one lane; instruments are built over months and the jawari is set by ear, so visits are best arranged in advance.
Kandi pedha, a dense scorched-milk sweet
The pedha is deliberately over-reduced, which is what gives it the caramel edge and the keeping quality.
Famous shops, markets and workshops in Desh, and what each is known for. (11)