Bottle masala (also called bafat masala) is the signature spice blend of the East Indian community of Mumbai (Bombay) — a Marathi-speaking Catholic community descended from the region's original inhabitants. Built from twenty to more than thirty roasted spices, it is an intensely aromatic, deep brick-red powder used to season the community's meat, fish and vegetable curries, and is traditionally stored in reused glass bottles, which gives the blend its name.