Udupi – Mangaluru is a food connoisseur’s haven with a staggering variety of delicious, unusual and scrumptious local snacks. A trip to this stretch of Karnataka is deemed complete only if one samples the tasty Mangalore buns, goli baje, uppit shira, sajjige bajil, khara roti and biscuit roti.
The origin of the Mangalore buns is a bit of a mystery. Some locals say that a few cooks put their heads together to figure out an innovative way to make use of their stock of overripe bananas. They mashed it all together, threw in a few more ingredients like flour, jaggery and spices and kneaded the dough. They made small balls, rolled it out and deep-fried them like puris.
This was offered to their regular customers and lo! it became an instant success! The cooks called them as buns. The original recipe was tweaked and offered with a spicy coconut chutney and enjoyed with a piping hot cup of filter coffee.
Another story is that this dish was created by a temple cook who did not want the bananas offered by the devotees to get spoilt. It is said that he mashed the ripe bananas, made it into a dough, fried them up and offered them as prasad.
Well, no one really knows the actual story, but one thing that is clear is that this fluffy, sweet delectable dish is perfect for any meal be it breakfast, lunch or tea-time snack. The accompaniments vary based on the meal but this supersoft Mangalore delicacy satisfies your hunger pangs.
The quality and taste of the Mangalore buns is largely attributed to the native bananas used. This simple, flavoursome dish is a must try.
Written by Lakshmi Subramanian
* Photos are only symbolic (Taken from public domain/internet and any copyright infringement is unintentional and regrettable)
sahasa.in 
These buns are found widely in Goa as typical konkani breakfast.. It is probable the Konkani community brought it to Canara while migrating from there
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