There are only a few hours left before the festival of Uttarayan. Along with flying kites, enjoying the feast of undhiya is also of great importance during this festival of Uttarayan. Ahmedabadis consume more than five lakh kilos of undhiya during the festival of Uttarayan. On the day of Uttarayan itself, more than three thousand undhiya stalls are seen in Ahmedabad, which provide more than five lakh kilos of undhiya in a single day. But it will be surprising to know that the history of undhiya is even older than kites. When the sun moves towards the Capricorn pole, this unique festival of the entire earth has been celebrated since the Mauryan period. At that time too, seasonal vegetables were collected, filled in pots, cooked at the temperature of the ground and eaten. This 2000-year-old tradition is still seen in Undhiya and Umbadiya. However, in today’s fast-paced life, since people do not have that much time, Undhiya is being made with the help of gas and pressure cookers. In Maurya Kalin (322-185 BC) and Gupta Kalin (320-550 BC), the festival of Makar Sankranti in India was a seasonal festival and even at that time, all the vegetables that ripened in the season were boiled in a pot and eaten with spices. However, during the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries, various peoples came to Gujarat due to trade and commerce, and they added various additions to this practice, which we can still see in the form of Undhiya today. In Jarat, different types like Surti Undhiya, Kathiyawadi Undhiya and Matla Undhiya can be seen. But the main difference in taste is the addition of some spices and different cooking methods. Surat is believed to have added sweetness to Undhiya. In India, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, dishes similar to Undhiya are also available in other states. For example, in Kerala, there is ‘Aviyal’ which is made like Undhiya. Similarly, in Bengal, a vegetable called ‘Sukto’ is made, in which all the vegetables of the winter season are made. In Odisha, ‘Santula’ is a vegetable that is very similar to Undhiya. Similarly, ‘Ratatvi’ made in France is a dish similar to Undhiya.
Kathiawadi, Jain, and spicy undhiya are popular along with original Surti undhiya in Uttarayan:
Years ago, only Surti undhiya was sold in Uttarayan in Surat, but despite the fact that people from many provinces live in the city, the trend of undhiya has remained unchanged in Uttarayan. However, Kathiawadi, Jain, and spicy undhiya are being sold along with original Surti undhiya in different areas of the city. Even today, undhiya of original Surti taste is becoming the first choice of people. Undhiya with original Surti taste also contains Katargam papdi and fenugreek bhaji muthia along with bananas. Along with the ingredients used in Surti Undhiya, many vegetables including guava, lentil, peas, tur, carrots are added to Saurashtrian Undhiya and red spices are used instead of green spices, hence this Undhiya becomes red instead of green.
