Panipuri

The Panipuri is a popular street snack in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of flavored water ("pani"), tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. It is generally small enough to fit completely into one's mouth. It is a popular street food dish in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka, Kolkata and Kathmandu.

In North India it is known as Gol Gappa. The name 'gol gappa' refers to the crisp sphere (gol) that is placed in the mouth and eaten (gappa) one at a time. Pani comes from the Hindi word for water and puri (or poori) is the name of an Indian bread made by deep frying in oil. Dogras, Kashmiris, Bhaderwahis, Gujjars, Paharis, Ladakhis, Himachalis of North India called it "Gol Gappa'.

It is known as bataasha in the Western region of Uttar Pradesh. Bataasha is something which gets smashed with application of a slight pressure; the bataasha gets smashed as soon as it is placed inside the mouth. It is known as Puchka in Eastern Indian states like Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, also in Bangladesh. Because of the bursting sound in the mouth when it is eaten, called gup chup in Odisha, Hyderabad and South Jharkhand. Gol-Gappa or Pani Pataase in Madhya Pradesh, Gup-Chup or Gol-Gappa or Panipuri in Chhattisgarh. In several parts of Gujarat and Kutch. It is commonly known as pakodi, not to be confused with pakoda.

History

The panipuri originated from the Magadha region of India, present day South Bihar where it is also known as phulki. The English meaning of golgappa is "watery bread" or "crisp sphere eaten." The literal meaning suggests that it may have originated from Varanasi. In Bengal and specifically Kolkata, Puchka is considered to be the king of this variety of snacks, compared to its cousins like golgappas or panipuris. The filling is made by lightly mashing boiled potatoes with black salt, salt, some spices, a generous portion of tamarind pulp (made by mashing ripe tamarind in tamarind water), chilli (powder/chopped/boiled & pasted). The tamarind water Tetul Jol is made by mixing tamarind and spices/ salt and making a light and tart liquid with water. At some places like Deshpriya Park, a very famous variety is made with sour curd, and called Dahi (curd) Puchka.

Serving

Typically, 4 - 8 panipuris are served over a portion on a triangular plate made from dry sal leaves. Some places offer panipuris prepared on a whole plate, but the popular way for them to be served is one-at-a-time from a roadside vendor. Customers hold a small plate or bowl (katori) and stand around the vendors cart. The server then starts making one panipuri at a time and gives one to each individual. Panipuri servers have to remember each customer's preferences such as sweetened pani, more filling or extra onions, for example. The server must keep count of how many panipuris each person has had.

Traditionally, panipuris are eaten by placing the entire puri into the mouth in one go and biting into it. This releases a barrage of tastes and textures. Panipuris may be finished off with a cup of the pani, sweetened or made tarter to taste.


Sources: Wikipedia

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