Google Doodle celebrates popular South Asian street food ‘pani puri’

On Wednesday, Google doodle highlighted the iconic South Asian street snack ‘pani puri’. On July 12, 2015, a restaurant in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore set a world record. The store presented the most flavors of pani puri. It showed nearly 51 variations of pani puri.

The delicacy, which consists of a crispy shell stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, spices, or chillis and flavoured water, is known by several different names around the country, including puchka and gol gappa.

In Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the bite-sized snack is commonly filled with boiled chickpeas. Added white pea mixture, and sprouts dipped in tangy and spicy water. In Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other north-Indian states, the potato and chickpea-filled treat dunked in jaljeera-flavored water is called gol gappa. The name puchkas or fuchkas is used in West Bengal. Also used in parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, with the key ingredient for this variety being tamarind pulp.

According to the legends, the history of the popular snack dates back to the epic Mahabharata time. It was when the newlywed Draupadi was challenged to feed her five husbands with scarce resources. With just some leftover potatoes and vegetables and a small amount of wheat dough to work with, Draupadi filled small pieces of fried dough with the potato and vegetable mixture, and thus, pani puri was invented.

The Tangy Delight: Exploring Pani Puri, India’s Beloved Street Food

Pani Puri, also known as Golgappa or Puchka, is a popular street food in India. It is a savory snack made of crispy, hollow puris (fried bread balls) filled with a mixture of mashed potatoes, chickpeas, onions, and spices. The highlight of Pani Puri is the tangy and spicy water (pani) made with tamarind, mint, and various spices. The puris are filled with the potato-chickpea mixture, dipped in the flavorful pani, and then eaten in one bite. Pani Puri is loved for its burst of flavors and is enjoyed by people of all ages across the country. It is a quintessential part of Indian street food culture and a favorite snack during festive occasions and gatherings.

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