Sweet Roti Roll

There is a very famous, costly dish whose preparation is quite difficult, popularly known as Puran Poli in the state of Maharashtra. It is a famous Marathi sweet roti, beloved all over the state, as well as in all corners of the country and abroad. Generally, it is prepared either on important festivals like Diwali, Holi, and Pola in the state, or in honor of very significant guests of families. It was considered a rich man's dish before independence and for a few decades after independence. It requires a skilled homemaker for its preparation, and most homemakers would avoid making it.

There was a cultivator family in a small town, having shifted from the village of their ancestors. The family was quite large, and the youngest boy in the family had a particular dislike for Puran Poli. His mother and grandmother were both skilled at making the sweet roti. Unfortunately, whenever there was a feast of sweet roti, his mother would prepare a different item for him. His elder brothers and sisters would make fun of him while enjoying the dish, which would make him angry. His grandmother would comfort him, taking him aside and telling him many stories about the sweet dish, trying to persuade him to eat it. However, he refused her requests when he was a child. When he grew up, he remembered her stories about it and regretted not listening to his grandmother when she was alive and loved him so much. One such story was as follows:

His grandmother told him that during his mother's wedding, Puran Poli was one of the items for all the guests. It was the last marriage in the rich family of the village. They had many acres of land and were very reputed, respected, and well-to-do. The master of the family decided to include sweet roti as one of the items at the wedding of his beloved daughter. He wanted to make her marriage memorable for the nearby villages and their closest relatives. As per the plan, the main housewife made arrangements for nearly a thousand guests. They expected about five hundred guests from the groom's side and five hundred guests from nearby villages. The family suddenly stopped selling milk and milk products to villagers, which became a topic of discussion in the village squares. Some employees from the family would attend these meetings, and when villagers forced them to reveal the reason behind it, they would remain silent. However, some hinted that there would be a marriage of the master's youngest daughter in the coming winter. The villagers guessed that there would be a sweet dish item at the wedding, as it required a lot of butter for its preparation. Every villager expected to have the dish at the wedding, as the fun of pudding is in eating it.

On the scheduled date, the master's daughter's marriage took place. Many skilled cooks were present to prepare the sweet roti and other items under the supervision of the main cook, as too many cooks spoil the broth. Her marriage was a mega event in the village for the next few decades. Every villager was happy and contributed their useful services to the marriage. All the guests and other participants were felicitated at the function. Everybody was happy with the services provided to them. There were no cars or buses like today; the guests came by village vehicles like bullock carts and others. A special type of rath carried by a team of four men transported the newly married couple. These men received a warm welcome and special treatment from the bride's family. They were offered many sweet rotis with plenty of butter oil forcibly, eating more than they could chew.

As the procession began to return to the destination, the winter temperature dropped rapidly. Many guests experienced discomfort due to the heavy sweet roti with frozen butter oil in their stomachs. The team carrying the bride and groom in the special rath had difficulty walking. Halfway through the journey, they set the rath down and lay on the ground as the temperature continued to fall. The frozen butter oil in their stomachs caused problems. Many experts in the procession gathered wood sticks and started a fire. The men carrying the rath warmed themselves by the fire and felt better. Later, they continued carrying the rath with the bride and groom to their destination.