Bikaneri Bhujia

Bikaneri Bhujia often simply called Bhujia is a popular crispy snack and is prepared by using besan (gram flour) and spices, originating from, Bikaner, a town in the western state of Rajasthan in India. Light yellow in colour it is famously known to have been first prepared in Bikaner, and over the years has not just become a characteristic product of Bikaner, but also a generic name. Each variety prepared by large scale manufacturers also go through a rigorous testing procedure. This ensures that every new variety though mixed with different ingredients does not lose its basic nature.

Bikaneri bhujia has been a cottage industry in Bikaner, Rajasthan, and provides employment to around 2.5 million people in villages of the region, especially women, and recently it has faced competition with multinational companies like Pepsico as well as Indian snack companies, which have used the name bhujia. After struggling with numerous copycats over the years, in September 2010, Indian Patent Office confirmed the Geographical Indications rights and patent was issued for the brand name Bikaneri bhujia to local manufacturers of Bikaner.