Panipuri

Pani puri (pānī pūrīⓘ) is a deep-fried breaded hollow spherical shell, about 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter, filled with a combination of finely diced potato, onion, peas, and chickpea. It is a common street food in the Indian subcontinent. It is often spiced with tamarind chutney, chili powder, or chaat masala. A Bengali variant, fuchka, uses spiced mashed potatoes and dal or ghugni as the filling.

Names

Panipuri has many regional names in the Indian subcontinent: Maharashtra and South India: Pani Puri; Haryana: paani patashi; Madhya Pradesh: fulki; Uttar Pradesh: pani ke batashe/padake; Assam: phuska/puska; Gujarat: Pakodi; Odisha: Gup-chup; Pakistan, Delhi: Gol Gappa; West Bengal and Bihar: Phuchka.

History

According to culinary anthropologist Kurush Dalal, chaat originated in the North Indian region of what is now Uttar Pradesh. Gol Gappa originated in India. He also noted that it possibly originated from Raj-Kachori: an accidentally-made smaller puri giving birth to panipuri. Panipuri spread to the rest of India mainly due to the migration of people from one part of the country to another in the 20th century.