There is one thing Indians never tire of debating: which is the better city, Mumbai or Delhi. The argument focuses more on which metropolis has better food. Street eats in Delhi are often the best, but Mumbai’s sandwich beats any competition.

It may have come to India through the British, but Mumbai (as Bombay is now known) has added its own fillings and spices.

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It is a relatively simple sandwich, with boiled potatoes, raw vegetables, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers sandwiched between richly buttered slices of white bread – never brown or multigrain – liberally slathered with chutney. The newer name Mumbai is never used to refer to it. The piquant green chutney is made with fresh herbs and spices and cooked over an open flame using a rustic handheld toaster (called a chimta). Recently, grated cheese has also been added to the dish.

This iconic dish symbolizes the city’s ethos of welcoming outsiders. It was the Portuguese who introduced both potatoes and bread to India before the British brought the sandwich. Mumbai’s other famous street dish, vada pav, is also made with local toddy (fermented palm sap alcohol).

According to historians, the Bombay sandwich developed from food brought by migrant workers from various parts of India to Mumbai. As the textile industry boomed in Mumbai in the 1960s, the workers needed cheap meals, which led to the creation of this sandwich.”