Matador Network's Blog, page 699
February 19, 2021
Positive sustainability news
This is The Climate Win, the most positive sustainability news around the world every week.
The world has a major plastic problem. More than 380 million tons of disposable plastics are produced each year, according to Plastic Oceans International, with some 95 percent ending up as waste. About 50 percent of that is single-use plastic, much of which isn’t accepted at recycling stations — because its flimsy consistency jams sorting machines, it may be a shape the machines can’t process, or the plastic isn’t high enough quality to break down into recyclable pellets. The result is hundreds of millions of tons of plastic clogging landfills and waterways worldwide.
A Massachusetts startup is on a mission to change that by making it easier and cheaper to recycle cheap plastics. After a 35-year career in supply chain consulting, David New founded Obaggo to make plastics recycling something that is actually doable for businesses and private citizens.
At first glance, New’s product looks a lot like a household trash bin — small, rectangular, and with a slot for insertion. Users insert common plastics like grocery store bags, packaging film, and other loose flimsy plastics, and Obaggo works by compacting these loose plastics into a thin disc, called a puck. It then ejects the puck and users add it to their curbside or drop-off recycling, or wherever plastic recyclables are accepted.
“Generally speaking, Obaggo is for people who find that they have a lot of plastic bags and film in their household and want a convenient way to recycle it,” New told Matador. “Bags and film of the right types are good raw materials to make into new products.”
Photo: David New
Another exciting avenue in which Obaggo could be embraced is in offices, as well as service businesses like restaurants, hotels, and airports — places where loose plastics are a part of everyday business operations. This could help travelers produce less waste both on the front end — what they see and consume — and on the backend. For example, restaurant kitchens typically cover food pans with plastic wrap at close and many food items come wrapped in plastic that is immediately tossed into the trash can upon use.
“I definitely see hotels and restaurants, and businesses of all kinds, adopting Obaggo as a way to get their plastic film into the recycling stream in an economical way,” New says. “Densification transforms the economics of recovering plastic film, so it helps no matter who does it.”
A simple sign posted in workspaces can explain which plastics can be put into the Obaggo.
“The critical concern, however, is that it is the right material (polyethylene, plastics labeled #2 and #4, generally speaking), and that it is clean and dry and free of food contamination,” New says. “So if Obaggo is used in the workplace, it needs to be used by people who know the basic rules I just mentioned.”
On that note, users do need to be educated on which types of plastic can be recycled with Obaggo. The company lists common items on its website, which in addition to plastic bags and film include cereal box liners and clothing bags. When traveling, I often find myself collecting small pieces of plastic trash — food wrappers, bags — in my pack with the hope that I’ll find a recycle station along the way or bring it home and combine there with other plastics for recycling. Sadly, neither tend to happen, and more often than not that plastic ends up in the trash, often because my local recycling center doesn’t accept certain types of plastics despite them being labeled recyclable. New has had similar experiences and hopes Obaggo can step in to help. With this product, travelers can collect thin plastic on the road and, to coin a new verb, “Obaggo” it at home.
“When I travel, I try to recycle the packaging from items I consume if I can find a recycling bin,” New says. “Bags and film I bring back home and add it to other film and make an Obaggo.”
The company will soon launch a crowdfunding campaign to bring Obaggo to market. Sign up to be notified of when the campaign launches and when Obaggo is available for purchase.
More climate winsProgress continues in the EV sector. This week, Ford said it would phase out gas-powered vehicles in Europe by 2030, The New York Times reported. The company will continue to produce them in the United States, however. Further up in the air, United Airlines is said to have ordered 200 electric “flying taxis” to shuttle passengers from city centers to airports in its major hubs, which would reduce traffic congestion at the airport and give users an emissions-free mode of transport to get there, according to Digital Trends. The company aims to have the flying taxis operational within five years.
Electric utility National Grid submitted a proposal last week to expand solar power to low-income customers in Massachusetts. The proposal outlines plans to use Community Shared Solar projects to deliver solar power as part of the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target to help 20,000 residents lower their utility bills through solar power, without having to install rooftop panels on individual homes.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a resolution to the US House of Representatives this week that would permanently grant wilderness status protection to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This would prevent future oil and gas drilling in the area, even despite former president Donald Trump’s sale of exploratory leases for the area merely weeks ago. 
The post This small household box could revolutionize plastic recycling appeared first on Matador Network.
Psychedelic grocery store Omega Mart
You might think that grocery stores are the one venue in Las Vegas safe from illicit substances, but at first glance, this new grocery store would prove you wrong. Omega Mart is an immersive art experience that turns a typical supermarket into a scene from someone’s psychedelic trip. Created by Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf, the supermarket is now open at the AREA 15 arts complex in Las Vegas, and you could easily be fooled into thinking you’re tripping on mushrooms when you step through the doors.
Photo: Meow Wolf/Facebook
Meow Wolf collaborated with over 50 musicians, artists, and creatives to build this immersive supermarket, which is separated into four themed areas and over 60 unique environments.
The first area is Omega Mart, designed like a big box grocery store, but with unique products like “Tattoo Chicken,” and “Whale Song Antiperspirants/Antidepressant.” The second area, called Dramcorp, is inspired by the 1982 Tron film, where visitors are given a sneak peek behind the market aisle into a maze representing the “corporate entity.” The third area is the Factory, a multi-level playground where the products sold at Omega Mart are created, and the fourth is the Projected Desert, where guests step into video projected artwork that immerses them in a colorful, psychedelic scene.
Photo: Meow Wolf/Facebook
Emily Montoya, Meow Wolf co-founder, brand SVP, and creative director of Omega Mart, said in a press release, “The concept for Omega Mart has been a part of Meow Wolf since the very beginning, and we can’t wait to bring this expansive experience to Las Vegas. Whether guests are operating machines in the Factory or transported to the Projected Desert via a trippy portal, Omega Mart is a truly interactive narrative experience.”
Photo: Meow Wolf/Facebook
Tickets for the experience start at $45 for general admission and $40 for children, seniors, and military ($35 and $30 for Nevada residents). Due to COVID-19 protocols, you must book a time slot in advance.
The post This trippy Vegas grocery store is an immersive art experience that will warp your senses appeared first on Matador Network.
Most popular dog breeds
If you’ve ever had an argument over which dog breed is the most popular, now you’ve got cold, hard facts to back your hypothesis. Household Quotes, a UK-based company, researched this and compiled its findings to produce an infographic showing which canine family is the most beloved by geographical region.
Photo: Household Quotes
Based on what breed is the most searched on Google, the compiled results list 27 canine varieties. The data is, of course, open to interpretation but it does show which dog most people are interested in based on where they live.
The most searched breed with 913,000 monthly hits across four countries is the Australian shepherd. But ironically, the most popular breed in Australia is actually the border collie, known for its intelligence and ability to quickly learn new commands. Coming first place in the United States is the golden retriever, a breed celebrated for its cuddle-loving, goofy demeanor and gold-colored mane. In Europe, the UK tops the chart for dog-loving countries and its national favorite is the cockapoo — a cross between a cocker spaniel and a poodle appreciated for its fairly low maintenance. The doberman tops the chart for Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Turkey, while South Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong are most interested in the fluffy shiba inu.
While the research results vary, one conclusion is definitive: Dogs are loved worldwide regardless of breed.
The post This is the most popular dog breed in every country appeared first on Matador Network.
Hawaii digital passports
Hawaii is looking to restart travel and requesting proof of vaccination may just be the answer. The state wants to allow inoculated travelers to visit as long as they are able to present digital vaccine passports, containing a QR code revealing medical information. If able to present proof of a COVID vaccine, visitors won’t have to quarantine upon arrival.
This initiative may begin as soon as May 1 and will likely be tried out with in-state essential workers who have been the first people to receive the vaccine.
“We’re hopeful that [by] April 1 for all of our state individuals any citizen that has been vaccinated plus two weeks to fly inter-island,” Hawaii Governor Josh Green told Travel + Leisure earlier this week. The program could be extended to US mainland travelers as early as the beginning of May. As tourism makes up a large part of the state’s revenue, local officials are eager to safely jumpstart travel as soon as possible.
Airlines are cooperating as well. United, Hawaiian, and American airlines have introduced pre-flight testing for passengers headed to the island. Additionally, starting February 18, Delta and United passengers from Los Angeles to Honolulu are now able to register their negative test results via Clear’s Health Pass. The only exception is the island of Kauai which not only requires a negative test pre-travel but also wants visitors to stay at an approved resort bubble and test negative again within 72 hours of arrival.
The digital vaccine passport is a rising trend and is being seen as a potential solution to restarting travel. Another country actively exploring the option is Denmark, which hopes to kick start its tourism industry and international travel by June with its COVID passport initiative.
The post Hawaii may soon let you visit if you have a digital vaccine passport appeared first on Matador Network.
February 18, 2021
How to buy a one-euro house in Italy
Over the past few years, small towns across Italy have attracted global attention by selling off houses for as little as one euro (about $1.21). Despite their bucolic charms, historic villages like Mussomeli and Zungoli in Sicily were increasingly losing residents to cities for employment opportunities. To kickstart repopulation, an extraordinary real estate trend developed wherein the “dying” villages auctioned off abandoned houses at bargain prices, sometimes as low as one euro.
As the one-euro house scheme garnered international interest, two young Italian entrepreneurs — Alessandro Barba, a property manager, and Nicolò Bollo, a tax consultant — decided to develop a company to help foreigners participate in the auctions. Their dedicated house auction website, Auctions2Italy, has moved the whole purchasing process online. It makes the sale of dirt-cheap properties more accessible and pandemic-friendly by allowing prospective buyers to browse and bid on houses remotely. A partner legal team also helps new homeowners take advantage of government bonuses granted for some types of restoration, which is often a requirement upon purchasing one of the properties.
In order to explain how you can actually turn the dream of owning a house in Italy into a reality, Alessandro Barba tells Matador about how their online auction site is enticing international buyers who have been put off by travel restrictions and assist in reviving Italy’s struggling small communities.
Why is Italy selling off its houses?Italy’s one-euro house auctions started back in 2014 and shot to international fame after just a couple of years. The scheme gained popularity because small towns in Italy had a common problem of shrinking populations. “Over the last 70 years with the decline in working opportunities provided by agriculture, many villagers left beautiful and historical small villages to move to cities in search of work in industry and services. Plus, the Italian economy has never been very dynamic so those small towns suffered, even more, the loss of human capital,” shares Alessandro Barba.
These towns with dwindling populations and local economies almost at a standstill saw the one-euro house sales as a radical solution. “Over the last couple of years some enlightened mayors decided to cater to foreign investors by offering depicted properties for a symbolic price, attracting interests from all over the world,” Barba added. As the houses are auctioned off, most don’t actually go for one, however the prices are still usually very low and particularly attractive for foreign buyers from countries where the market is costly and competitive.
Thus the one-euro home trend went from strength to strength, building momentum even during the pandemic. One town actually capitalized on its “covid-free” status to entice buyers. Last year, a house restoration also made it to American home design channel HGTV when Hollywood actress Lorraine Bracco bought a house in Sambuca in Sicily and filmed the renovations for the program.
A new scheme to help foreign investorsDespite the global interest, the property auctions are not often readily accessible for foreigners, especially amid a travel-restricting pandemic. One major problem for prospective buyers living far away is the tendency for the house auctions to be held physically in local town halls. By moving the viewing, bidding, and purchasing processes online, Barba and Bollo hoped a greater number of potentially interested people living abroad could participate in the auctions.
To use their house auction website Auctions2Italy, prospective buyers are asked to register and provide credit card details in order to avoid scammers. They are then free to browse and bid on available properties. Barba notes that the physical condition of properties can vary considerably. “Some in bad shape, some others are ready to live in,” he says.
COVID-tested flights from the US to Italy have allowed some potential property owners to see their new purchase, but most of the time the whole process is conducted remotely. Although it seems risky to buy a house without actually seeing it in person, Barba reports that it hasn’t deterred some people. “Given the fact that the properties are so cheap compared to their home countries … they feel okay with buying without seeing in person, just via photos and video calls,” he shares.
Italian government offers financial incentivesOnce new homeowners have secured their dream property in Italy, they still have to face the daunting task of legal proceedings and bureaucracy. Besides the actual purchasing formalities, difficulties with paperwork could mean missing out on financial assistance schemes from the Italian government. Barba and co-founder Bollo realized their real estate and legal expertise could assist buyers, so they now offer help to clients struggling with the language barrier and the official paperwork.
Barba tells Matador about the various monetary incentives offered by the Italian government for restoring abandoned properties. The “Ecobonus” scheme, for example, offers a tax deduction of 110 percent on the expenses incurred during some types of restoration. To be applicable, the restoration work must improve a property’s energy efficiency rating or reduce its seismic risk. The bonus currently covers all relevant expenses up to December 2022.
Other incentives aim to encourage newly purchased properties to be used as permanent residences, thus boosting a town’s population and economy. In the south of Italy, for example, freelancers who move their official residence there only pay taxes on 10 percent of their annual income. To encourage more people to relocate to Italy, Auctions2Italy’s legal partner team helps secure VISAs for non-EU residents and dual citizenship for those who have Italian ancestry.
The other motivation, of course, is la dolce vita that these small towns offer. Barba rattles off a list of what new homeowners can expect: “Weather, peace, relaxation, Mediterranean diet, organic food, amazing wine, cheap costs of real estate and life, beautiful Mediterranean beaches within one-hour driving, community, sense of belonging and a slower pace of life.”
So what’s the real cost of a one-euro house?With the abandoned houses being sold at auction, the final price can creep up to a few thousand dollars. Even so, the prices are still low compared to foreign buyers’ home countries. On the Auctions2Italy website, the auctions have different reserve prices that must be met, which are usually a few thousand euros depending on the condition of the house. In Barba and Bollo’s first round of auctions, which finished at the end of December, two properties located in the northern Emilia Romagna region sold for $19,400 and $24,200.
On top of this, however, there are restoration costs, and Barba warns that these can vary wildly. “Some houses are basically just four walls while some others just need some minimal adjustments.” For those hoping to move into a property right away, he suggests also looking for houses on the regular property market. These often need minimum restoration work, which can be very attractive for those on a budget. The one-euro homes, instead, are generally in poor condition. For Barba, they are “more interesting for those who have money and want to have a brand new property entirely re-made.”
Barba hopes that their website can ensure those tempted to invest in a property in Italy go through with it, not least because of the benefit to the moribund communities themselves. “These small towns are in need of new energies, investments, and a more global mindset,” he says. With investing in the one-euro house schemes now easier than ever, there’s no excuse not to fulfill a dream of moving to Italy. But if you’re still struggling to justify buying yourself a little property, you can think of it as an altruistic act.
The post Buying a $1 home in Italy just got even easier appeared first on Matador Network.
South America travel deals
We hope you love the spaces and stays we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay, and listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
We’re dreaming of Machu Picchu, crystal blue waters, and the lush jungles teeming with wildlife. Even though international travel is far from in full swing, tour booking site Travelzoo is loaded with hot deals to South America right now. With the flexibility to book now and travel later, you can plan a trip stress-free knowing there’s no pressure to take off before borders are open and you’re comfortable being up in the air. But don’t delay on booking — because these deals sell out quickly and won’t come back around. Snag one of these epic vacation packages before they sell out to make sure you’re first in line for adventure when borders reopen.
1. 11 nights in Machu Picchu including flightsPrice: $1,599
Fully refundable: Yes
Travel dates: Through May 2022
This Travelzoo deal is the dream trip you’ve been talking about for years, at a cost that’s less than half of what you’d pay should you book it piece by piece. Included are international airfare to Lima, Peru, and three nights in the city, the trip to Machu Picchu, two nights near the Sacred Valley in Urubamba before visiting the ruins, two nights in the high-altitude city of Cusco, and four nights in Iquitos, where you’ll boat through the Amazon and visit a Native village. This deal is as rare as the electric eel you might spot in the Amazon, and you’re itinerary is taken care of — the only decision you’ll have to make is whether to keep that $2,000 in savings or spend it taking your crew out on the town in Lima to toast the trip of a lifetime.
2. Seven-day Machu Picchu tour with flights from USPrice: $699 per person, group of two
Fully refundable: Yes
Travel dates: Multiple departures through November
If you want to visit Machu Picchu but don’t need the rest of the jazz, take advantage of this Machu Picchu deal through Travelzoo. For $699 each, you and a partner will fly from Miami to Lima, spend the night, and then fly to Peru’s mountain haven of Cusco. From there, you’ll visit the Sacred Valley, take a luxurious train ride to Aguas Calientes, and conclude with the epicness of Machu Picchu itself. A night in Lima on the backend allows a chance to relax and recap the journey before heading back to the US. Fair warning, though — this trip is about to sell out, so act quickly to ensure your spot on this epic journey. It’s refundable, so you can hammer out the details (including talking someone into joining you) later.
3. Amazon and Galapagos guided tour with air — save $2,800
Photo: Jess Kraft/Shutterstock
Price: $1,599
Fully refundable: Yes
Travel dates: Through February 2022
If ancient ruins aren’t your jam, this deal lets you tour the Amazon Rainforest and visit the Galapagos islands for the same price by booking through Travelzoo. An English-speaking guide leads you through Ecuador’s capital city of Quito for three nights, two nights at a jungle lodge in Tena, three nights and days (including the flight from the mainland) exploring the Galapagos, and a walking tour of Guayaquil including its two most prominent sites, the Las Peñas neighborhood and the Malecón Boardwalk, with two nights to relax. International flights are included, as is the guarantee of an epic experience that you’ll only be able to explain to friends and family back home through photos.
4. Tour Peru and/or Ecuador with flightsPrice: $999 and up
Fully refundable: Yes
Travel dates: April 2021-May 2022
Keep $3,200 in your pocket with this seven-night trip to two of South America’s most beautiful destinations. For $999 roundtrip you can tour Peru including Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley. Add two more nights and you can also see the famous Lake Titicaca — the high-altitude lake that borders the two countries, via the town of Puno. The only way to score this deal is to book through Travelzoo.
5. 10 nights in Ecuador including Amazon and GalapagosPrice: $1,599
Fully refundable: yes
Travel dates: Through February 2022
This journey starts in Quito, Ecuador’s historic capital, before heading to the Amazonian Tena to experience jungle life and a wide variety of flora and fauna. Then, you’ll head to the Galapagos Islands in search of the seldom-seen Blue Footed Boobie, views of lush green hills giving way to the Pacific, and meals of local fare. Travelzoo includes all flights and lodging, and itinerary details are taken care of in this package — as is a guaranteed experience in Ecuador and the Galapagos from a local perspective.
6. Eight-night Chile: Patagonia excursion
Photo: cge2010/Shutterstock
Price: $1,792 and up
Fully refundable: Yes
Travel dates: April to September 2021
The towering spires and peans of Patagonia inspire climbers, trekkers, and adventures of all stripes, and this deal puts you right in the best spots on the Chilean side. You’ll visit Santiago de Chile on both ends of the trip, with Punta Arenas, Viña del Mar, and Valparaíso also on the itinerary. En route are waterfalls, lakes, volcanoes, and a variety of wildlife including the famed Patagonian guanaco (a funky-looking relative of the llama). Optional excursions include glacier visits and cultural attractions. Some meals are included, as is lodging and transfers in each of the stops along the way.
7. Four days, three nights in Cartagena with flightsPrice: $330 and up
Fully refundable: No, but flexible
Travel dates: May 18, 2021, or customizable
If you’re ready to go this spring, Colombia is waiting. Cartagena is the jewel of the Colombian coast — turquoise waters, wide beaches, and a historic old town to rival any in Latin America. Cartagena de Indias has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984, and you’ll experience it while staying at the comfortable OZ Hotel and enjoying its daily breakfast. Travel dates at this rate are for this spring, but by booking through Travelzoo you can alter the dates for a slight surcharge — still a great deal considering flights and the logistics of having to coordinate them are taken care of.
The post Book one of these incredible deals to South America now and visit when you’re ready to travel appeared first on Matador Network.
Jameson is paying people $50
You might not be able to party like usual this St. Patrick’s Day, but there’s a chance you can get the day off work courtesy of Jameson. The Irish Whiskey company is on a mission to get Americans to take their underutilized paid time off (PTO) this year, and wants to pay 1,000 people to take the one day off that’s closest to its heart — St. Patrick’s Day.
To encourage people to take SPTO (St. Patrick’s Time Off), Jameson is giving 1,000 people $50 to cover the cost of their St. Patrick’s Day festivities. You can spend that $50 on a bottle of Jameson, a green wardrobe, or some ingredients to make traditional Irish food.
Jameson is also hosting a virtual global concert featuring musician Jessie Reyez and a “Hometainment” kit — complete with cocktail recipes — to help you recreate the pub experience in your home.
Actors Retta Sirleaf and Joe Lo Truglio have joined the SPTO campaign. In a PSA, Sirleaf said, “If you’re like me — a person — then you’re probably working too hard and need a break. There’s too much work, no time for a break, or to celebrate with friends. And to top it off, we were robbed of one of my favorite holidays. But guess what, Saint Patrick’s Day is on for 2021.”
To enter the giveaway, take the #JamesonSPTO pledge on Jameson’s website. You’ll receive a special code and be entered into the contest. In addition to $50 for themselves, winners will also have $50 donated in their name to the Restaurant Worker’s Community Foundation.
The post Jameson is paying vacation-deprived Americans $50 to take St. Patrick’s Day off work appeared first on Matador Network.
Sea turtles stunned by cold
As temperatures in Texas brutally dropped, knocking out entire power grids, thousands of sea turtles were found cold-stunned on the beaches of South Padre Island, off the southern coast of Texas and in need of help.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the term “cold-stunned” refers to “a condition in which sea turtles become very weak and inactive from exposure to cold temperatures. It generally occurs when water temperatures fall below 50˚F (10˚C) where sea turtles are present. Cold-stunned turtles become lethargic and are eventually unable to swim causing them to float at the surface. Wind and/or tides may wash them ashore.”
Wildlife groups and volunteers have brought 4,700 sea turtles to the The South Padre Island Convention Center & Visitors Bureau since Monday, Reuters reported. Some volunteers brought cars and trailers filled with sea turtles in the hopes of rescuing them from the unusual cold temperatures, The Guardian explained.
The South Padre Island Convention Center & Visitors Bureau lent its space to neighboring sea turtle rescue organization, Sea Turtle, Inc, which has been overwhelmed with volunteers attempting to save the cold-stunned animals since last week and could not take any more animals in its facility.
My mom is retired, & she spends her winters volunteering at a sea turtle rescue center in south Texas. The cold snap is stunning the local turtles & they’re doing a lot of rescues. She sent me this photo today of the back of her Subaru. It’s *literally* turtles all the way down. pic.twitter.com/xaDRNjLDoQ
— Lara (@lara_hand) February 15, 2021
Wendy Knight, Sea Turtle, Inc’s executive director, told the Huffington Post that this was the “largest cold-stun event in over a decade.”
Photo: Sea Turtle, Inc/Facebook
While there were concerns over the well-being of the animals since both facilities had lost power and water supplies on Sunday, it has now been restored and the sea turtles are being cared for attentively in the hope that they will all warm up and survive this winter’s hardship.
The post Incredible photos show thousands of sea turtles stunned by Texas cold snap appeared first on Matador Network.
Where to find the cheapest beer
Trying out local beers is one of the best parts of traveling, but sometimes the only thing dampening the drinking experience is the cost. To make sure you get to try out some of the world’s most delicious brews without breaking the bank, plan your next trip using Expensivity’s latest map, which compares the price of a beer in 58 countries.
Photo: Expensivity
To gather its data, Expensivity focused on well-known brands and noted the prices of a 330 ml (11oz) bottle of beer in supermarkets around the world using online shops. It also called hotels to get the lobby bar prices, and calculated the average price between supermarkets and hotels in USD using xe.com for conversion.
Photo: Expensivity
Expensivity found that Qatar has the most expensive beer in the world, costing an average of $11.26 per 11oz bottle. This is likely due to their 100 percent tax on alcohol imports ahead of the 2022 World Cup. On the other end of the spectrum, South Africa has the cheapest beer, with an average price of $1.68 per bottle. It also discovered that the Czech Republic has the highest rate of beer consumption, with the average person consuming 468 beers per year, and that Germans spend the most on beer each year with almost $2,000 spent on beer per year.
The post This map shows the price of beer in more than 50 countries appeared first on Matador Network.
Fried street food from India
From restaurants to street stalls, dhaba (roadside eateries) to food carts, deep-fried snacks are available everywhere in India. Indian people love to snack on these as appetizers at any time of the day, before and between meals. These spicy, tangy, and crunchy snacks are bursting with ingredients like paneer, chickpeas, and lentils. Take a morning walk in the old lanes and streets in any part of the country, and you’ll find the inviting kettles of hot tea or coffee and oil bubbling in large kadhai (a deep cooking pot) in which kachauri, pakora, vada, and many other deep-fried snacks are cooked. In places like Varanasi, an entire lane is known as “kachauri gali,” dedicated to kachauris (deep-fried snacks) that are eaten for morning breakfast.
Deep-fried dishes are common as breakfast, evening snacks, starters before meals, accompaniments for drinks, and as finger foods. The most common finger foods are mini khasta kachauris with lentil filling, small samosa, and an assortment of pakoras. Traditionally during festivals and religious ceremonies, a lot of deep-fried dishes are prepared, both sweet or savory. While traveling, Indian people often carry homemade deep-fried savory snacks like nimki, chakli, or murukku. Change in seasons also dictate the choice of snacks. Piping hot crispy pakoras with a cup of hot tea or coffee tastes amazing on any cool rainy evening. Here are five of the most popular — and delicious — deep-fried Indian snacks to know.
1. Pakora
Photo: Darryl Brooks/Shutterstock
Also known as bhajjias, pakoras are crispy deep-fried snacks popular across India as a tea-time snack or side dish during meals. An assortment of vegetables can be dipped in seasoned besan (chickpea flour) and deep-fried. Common vegetables like potato, onions, brinjal (eggplant), and cauliflower, or fenugreek leaves, spinach, moong dal (green gram or mung bean), corn and cheese, paneer (cottage cheese), or even chicken and fish can all be transformed into pakoras. When balls of spicy potato dipped in besan batter are fried, they’re called aloo bonda. These taste best with spicy green chutney (coriander, mint, or raw mango), tangy tamarind chutney, or tomato sauce. Some like pakoras for breakfast, especially in cold weather. Dhabas (roadside restaurants) in the Gujarat region serve mirchi pakora (fried chilies) and methi na gota (fenugreek pakora) as breakfast. Baigan bhaja (brinjal pakora) is an all-time favorite side dish with chawal-dal (rice and lentils) for lunch in Bihar and Bengal.
2. Kachauri
Photo: HappyShanky/Shutterstock
Also spelled as kachori, these deep-fried flattened circles are filled with a spicy stuffing can be made from a variety, usually yellow moong dal (mung bean), urad dal (split black gram), sattu (roasted gram flour), or mashed boiled potatoes. Pyaz kachauri (spicy onion) and dal kachori are Rajasthan’s specialty. Khasta kachauri (mung bean) and matar kachauri (peas) are common in eastern India. These snack are eaten at breakfast with hot potato curry, sweets like jalebi, or with pickles. During festivals, many varieties of kachauris are prepared in the home.
3. Vada
Photo: mayachitra/Shutterstock
Vada are traditional south Indian deep-fried fritters that are round and flat or with in the center hole like doughnut. This crispy ring-like snack has a crunchy bite but soft inside. Vada is sometimes deep-fried in rice flour that is seasoned with a mix of onions, curry leaves, and coconut, until it’s golden brown.
Varieties include medu vada, made with urad dal, and sambhar vada, made with lentil curry. The latter is a common breakfast dish in south Indian homes, especially Tamil Nadu. Masala vada, a spicy version of vada, is a popular street food in the same region. Vada is sometimes served with a nariyal (coconut) chutney on the side. In north India medu vada is soaked in yogurt to make dahi vada, a refreshing dish enjoyed in the summer. Sabudana vada, made with starch derived from tapioca roots, is a common snack during periods of fasting in the western state of Maharashtra.
4. Samosa
Photo: Marina Zanotti/Shutterstock
Samosa is a deep-fried triangular pocket with spicy savory filling. It is one of the most popular snacks in north and east India. The common stuffing is a mixture of seasoned boiled potatoes. The samosa chaat is one variation made with smashed samosas topped with chickpeas. Rajasthan’s mini samosas are sometimes filled with lentils, but you can find a variety of samosa fillings nowadays, including spicy peas, keema (minced mutton), and paneer (cottage cheese). Popular in Hyderabad, lukhmi is a square samosa stuffed with spicy and tangy keema (ground beef and potatoes), sometimes served as an appetizer at weddings.
5. Murukku
Photo: Justin_KanyakumariDist/Shutterstock
Murukku is twisted into a spiral and deep-fried until crunchy. This savory snack is made from a combination of rice flour and urad dal. It is a traditional snack served at festivals like Diwali and Janmashtami and special occasions. There are a lot of variations of murukku, using different ingredients and known by different names in several parts of India. In southern Telangana state, the snack is called sakinalu, and is prepared during Makar Sankranti festival from rice flour, carom seeds, and sesame seeds. In the western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, it is called chakli and chakri respectively, and is formed into concentric circles.
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