Vada pav ranks 19th in the list of world’s top 50 best sandwiches

Vada pav has figured on the list of top 50 best sandwiches in the world, which has been compiled by Taste Atlas. Vada pav, one of the most popular street food items in India, is also synonymous with India's financial capital, Mumbai.

The iconic street food was ranked 19th in the list of the top 50 best sandwiches in the world.

According to the Taste Atlas’ list, Vietnam’s banh mi, Turkey’s tombik doner, Lebanon’s shawarma, Mexico’s tortas, and lobster roll from the United States are the best five sandwiches in the world.

Germany’s Mettbrotchen, Spain’s bocadillo de cerdo, Argentina’s sanguche de milanesa, beef on weck and porchetta sandwiches from the United States are the last five in the list.

Taste Atlas, a travel and food guide that collates local recipes from across the world and gives food reviews. 

The popular sandwich, in which the crispy and deep-fried potato ball is stuffed between two pav or white buns, is ideally served with a hot red chutney with coconut, peanuts, garlic, tamarind, and chiles. It is widely sold throughout Maharashtra, both on street stands and in elegant restaurants.

According to Taste Atlas, this street food originated from a street vendor named Ashok Vaidya, who worked near the Dadar train station in the 1960s and 1970s. He thought of a way to satiate the hungry workers, and concluded that the ideal dish should be portable, affordable, and easy to prepare.

“Choose your favourite?" wrote Taste Atlas as they shared the list in a post on X. The post got numerous comments.

Here are few comments about vada pav getting ranked in top 20 best sandwiches --

- “Vada pav, the best veg sandwich in the world.”

- “Vada pav in top 20. Woohoo!”

- “Vada pav not in the top 5?! Who made this list?”

- “I miss being in India and eating vada pav every day.”