The Pani Puri Saga - Interesting Story Of India’s Most Favorite Street Snack

India's never-ending love for street foods is famous among the food enthusiasts. You can see that every busy street in Indian cities is lined with local vendors who sell street foods. Street foods are popular among everyone, as they have a unique taste. Street foods are available for a comparatively low rate. The street food culture is vast and progressed to a profitable business nowadays. Pani puri, an all-time favorite snack of all street food lovers, has some fascinating stories behind its origin. Let us explore them.

Pani puri Source :Wikipedia images

Pani puri, the king of street foods, is an emotion for many of us!

The unassuming cute little balls made of semolina and wheat filled with boiled potatoes and freshly chopped onions always capture the eyes of any foodie who passes nearby.

When you dip the balls gently into the spicy green chutney, followed by the sweet one, and place them into your mouth, the hidden flavor bombs start to explode …Hot, spicy, sweet, tangy, and sour… The very first trial itself will leave you in euphoria. It is more than enough to pamper your taste buds.

A foodie’s scrumptious love story with this unavoidable street food, Pani puri, aka golgappa, starts there!

Indian street foods are packed with colorful, diverse varieties and exotic flavors. Each dish expresses the culture of the place and sometimes becomes the way of life. Pani puri is one of the most unavoidable street foods in India. It has other monikers in different parts of the country, like golgappa, gupchup, puchka,pakodi , paani ke patashe and so on.

Stories Behind The Origin Of Pani Puri

The origin of pani puri, the most beloved Indian street snack, is unknown to many. Not many resources are available to explain the accurate pani puri history. Culinary anthropologist Kurush Dalal describes ‘chaat’ as the predecessor of pani puri. According to him, pani puri originated in the Indian subcontinent.

From the available sources, two versions describe how this snack originated in ancient India. One is a historical version, and the other is related to Indian mythology.

It is believed that the oldest form of today’s pani puri was phulkis, and it originated in Magadha, the one among sixteen great kingdoms in ancient India. The stories of phulkis and the cook who prepared this mouthwatering snack are completely missing somewhere in the annals of history. Anyway, He must be a brilliant cook who creates magic with flavors, right?

Another story is related to Mahabharatha. Draupadi, the newly wedded daughter-in-law of Hastinapura, once got a task from Kunti. She was instructed to make food with the leftover atta and some vegetables before the arrival of Pandavas, who were in exile. Kunti wanted to test her new daughter-in-law’s capacity to manage with minimum resources and how she tries to make enough food without becoming partial to anyone.

But, surprisingly, Draupadi made several small puris with the dough, which were enough to satisfy the hunger of Pandavas. Kunti, the happy mother-in-law, was impressed by Draupadi's brilliance and capability and she gave this food the boon of immortality. In Mahabharata, the name of this food is mentioned as ‘Jalapathra’ and it is believed to be the ancient form of today’s pani puri.

After centuries, this snack has gone through many experiments and transformations, and now we have various varieties of golgappas available. Apart from the basic form, today there are different flavors available, including juice varieties and modern versions like ‘pani puri Nutella shot and Tequila shot!

However, this tangy, hot, spicy, and sweet snack still stays as the beloved of every street food enthusiast and represents various colors of history and diversity of Indian culture.