Farsan or Pharsāṇ refers to salty snacks originating from the Indian subcontinent. Farsans are a very important part of Marwari cuisine, Gujarati cuisine, Marathi cuisine and Sindhi cuisine, wherein a wide variety of them are prepared on special occasions and to entertain guests, and are also enjoyed with tea. Farsan is also found throughout the rest of India, particularly Maharashtra due to the influx of Gujarati and Rajasthani traders and migration of Sindhis in Mumbai.
Some are fried items which are then dried and can be stored; others are fresh or steamed. The following are the main varieties of Farsan:
