A Guide to Indian Namkeen: Types, Styles and Regions

“Namkeen” simply means savoury. Underneath that one word sits an enormous range of snacks that differ by flour, by shape, by region and by how they are meant to be eaten. This is a guide to telling them apart.

Sev and bhujia

Strands of spiced dough pressed through a mould straight into hot oil. The thickness changes everything.

• Fine sev (also called nylon or zero number sev) is made for topping chaat, bhel puri and dahi puri
• Medium sev such as Hing Sev is for eating on its own with tea
• Thick sev such as Baramasi is cooked into sev tamatar ki sabji, a Rajasthani tomato curry
• Bhujia usually means a finer, crisper style. Bikaneri Bhujia is made from moth dal flour rather than besan, which gives it a more delicate texture
• Gathiya is the Gujarati style — softer and thicker, like Gujarati Gathiya

Mixtures

Several components combined in fixed proportions so the textures contrast. A good mixture is balanced rather than crowded. Our Rajasthani Mixture blends 14 different namkeens and has been made to the same recipe since 1947.

Chiwda

Built on poha (flattened rice) rather than fried dough, which makes it lighter. Styles range from plain Poha Chiwda to dry-fruit versions like Navratan Chewda, and sweet-sour Khatta Meetha.

Mathri and wheat snacks

Made from wheat flour rather than besan, rolled and fried until flaky. Ajwain Khasta Mathri is the everyday version; Lambi Fali is a long stick shape; Meethe Pare is the sweet one. Kachori and samosa belong to the same family.

Dal snacks

Whole lentils fried and seasoned, with no flour involved — moong dal, chana dal, masoor dal. Dal Moth combines fried masoor dal with fine sev.

Papad

Thin discs of dal dough, sun-dried, then fried, roasted or microwaved. Moong, urad and chana are the usual bases. Ours are made using tail batai, a traditional Rajasthani technique that produces a softer papad than the common flat-press method.

Regional styles worth knowing

• Jodhpur — besan-led, generous with hing and ajwain. Mixtures, Baramasi, Barik Sev, Mini Kachori
• Bikaner — known for moth dal bhujia
• Ratlam (MP) — Ratlami sev, made with whole cloves worked into the dough. Our Long Masala Sev is made in this style at our Jodhpur kitchen
• Gujarat — softer gathiya, and the sweet-sour balance of khatta meetha
• Maharashtra — bhakarwadi, a spiral of spiced filling rolled in dough

How to choose

For chai, medium sev or mathri. For chaat topping, fine sev. For cooking, thick sev. For gifting, a mixture or a dry-fruit chiwda. For children or elderly family members, softer gathiya rather than the hing- and chilli-forward varieties. If you avoid onion and garlic, most traditional besan namkeen qualifies — our Jain range covers 65 products.

FAQ

What is the difference between sev and bhujia?
Both are fried strands of seasoned dough. Bhujia generally refers to the finer, crisper style, and Bikaneri Bhujia specifically is made from moth dal flour rather than besan.

What is the difference between sev and gathiya?
Gathiya is the Gujarati style: thicker, softer and easier to chew than most Rajasthani sev.

Which namkeen is least spicy?
Plain besan sev, Gujarati gathiya and Barik Sev are among the mildest. Dal Moth and chilli-forward varieties sit at the other end.

Which namkeen is used in chaat?
Fine sev, also called nylon sev or zero number sev, made specifically for sprinkling over bhel puri, sev puri and dahi puri.

What is tail batai?
A traditional Rajasthani papad-making technique that produces a softer, higher-quality papad than the usual flat-press method.