3 min readNew DelhiJul 13, 2023 12:00 PM IST
First published on: Jul 13, 2023 at 12:00 PM IST
Indians have an unparalleled love for their diverse and delectable street foods. Among the myriad choices, one snack is a favourite among all age groups: pani puri. Known by different names like gol gappe, phuchka, and gupchup, it is a beloved street food that encapsulates the essence of Indian culinary delights. It consists of crispy hollow puris filled with tangy and spicy water and a delightful medley of mashed potatoes, chickpeas, and chutneys.
Celebrating this flavourful snack was Google’s recent Doodle which was an interactive game for all pani puri lovers. “Today’s interactive game Doodle celebrates pani puri — a popular South Asian street food made of a crispy shell stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, spices, or chilis and flavoured waters,” it wrote.
According to Google, there’s a variety of panipuri for everyone’s taste buds. So much so that on July 12, 2015, a restaurant called Indori Zayka and Dainik Bhaskar in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, achieved the World Record for serving the most flavours of pani puri by offering 51 options! The event was held under the guidance of Masterchef Neha Shah.
It further shared that this snack goes by different names because there are many regional variations that exist across India. “In Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the name pani puri describes the bite-sized street food commonly filled with boiled chickpeas, a white pea mixture, and sprouts dipped in tangy and spicy pani. In the northern Indian states of Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and New Delhi, the potato and chickpea-filled treat dunked in jaljeera flavoured water is called gol gappe or gol gappa. The name puchkas or fuchkas is used in West Bengal and parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, with the key ingredient for this variety being tamarind pulp,” Google noted.
Despite the wide variety of fillings and sauces catering to diverse taste preferences, there are two aspects that unanimously resonate with everyone: “eat the pani puri quickly to avoid the puri getting soggy or leaking, and always eat it in one bite to avoid a crumbly mess”.
The interactive game Doodle, which celebrated pani puri, involved helping the vendor serve the orders of pani puri. The player is supposed to match the customer’s choice of flavours with the puri.
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Google's interactive Doodle celebrates pani puri (Source: Google) 
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