Pani Puri was mentioned in Mahabharata! Know the REAL story

India's most popular street food Pani Puri is very famous today in the country and abroad. There is so much craze for Golgappas here that it would not be wrong if it were called the king of street food. The special thing about this dish is that like pizza or burger, you do not need to have a huge amount of money in your pocket to eat it. In India, Pani Puri can be found from cheap to expensive and from expensive to expensive. Despite being a street food, you will see its name on the menu card even in the most expensive restaurants. But many don’t know who invented this lip-smacking dish and how. Read more to know all about it. (Images courtesy: Canva)

Pani Puri, which many also know as Golgappa, has a very interesting and fun meaning. Divide the word 'Golgappa' into two parts. The word 'gol' refers to the crunchy shape made of flour filled with water and potatoes and 'gappa' refers to the process of eating it in which it dissolves in the mouth in the blink of an eye. Now because it is eaten in one go, it is called Golgappa.

However, this dish has many names in India, which have come from different regions. In Haryana, it is known as 'Pani Patashi'; 'Phulki' in Madhya Pradesh; 'Pani ke Batashe' or 'Padaake' in Uttar Pradesh; 'Fuska' or 'Puska' in Assam; 'Gup-chup' in some parts of Odisha and 'Puchka' in Bihar, Nepal, Jharkhand, Bengal and Chhattisgarh. It is famous as Pani Puri in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.

Ask any Golgappa lover and they would not know its rich history. According to a legend, when Draupadi came home after getting married to the five Pandavas, her mother-in-law Kunti, assigned her a task. As the Pandavas were in exile at that time, they had to live their lives with less and scarce resources. Therefore, Kunti wanted to test them and see whether her new daughter-in-law would be able to live in such conditions or not.

So, Kunti gave Draupadi some leftover vegetables and enough wheat flour to make Poori, and asked her to make something that could fill the stomach of everyone. Draupadi was quite surprised at this behaviour, but didn’t mind the test. In fact, she chose this time to invent a dish that no one could think of! The new bride made a tangy water, a spicy filling and prepared some small puris. Everyone loved this new invention. Thus, it is believed that Golgappa was first originated in Magadha.

However, there is no exact mention of who and how it was invented in any scriptures. Two things play an important role in completing Golgappa, potatoes and water. Without them, this dish is completely tasteless and incomplete. Since both these ingredients came to India about 300-400 years ago, historians believe that the dish was originated in Magadha, which is present-day South Bihar.

This delicious snack is made with hollow and crispy Puris that are usually made from semolina or wheat flour. Each Puri is punctured to create a hollow space inside and stuffed with a blend of mashed potatoes, cooked chickpeas, finely chopped onions, and a medley of spices. And then comes the main element of the dish, a spicy and tangy water which is poured into each puri, infusing it with a burst of taste. Some people love to enjoy this dish with a hint of sweet tamarind chutney. This is undoubtedly a dish that can fill your stomach in much less price than one can imagine.

With the changing times, people also did many experiments with Golgappa and tried to give a foreign touch to this desi dish. To impress and woo the foreigner, people have replaced the spicy and tangy water with alcohol and many other drinks. From soda to tequila, scotch to coke, one can find several modern-day versions of this dish. However, despite countless experiments with the taste of Golgappa, everything pales in comparison to its classic spicy taste.