Google Doodle Celebrates India’s Best Known Street Food Pani Puri

Search engine Giant Google on Wednesday celebrated India's most popular street food pani puri with a doodle. The snack, made of a crispy shell stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, spices, or chilis and flavoured water, is known by various names like puchka, gol gappa, and has many regional variations across the country.

In Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, a common bite-sized snack is prepared by filling boiled chickpeas, a mixture of white peas, and sprouts. These ingredients are then immersed in a tangy and spicy water. In Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and other northern Indian states, a similar treat filled with potatoes and chickpeas is known as gol gappa. It is enjoyed by dipping it in jaljeera-flavored water. In West Bengal and certain parts of Bihar and Jharkhand, this snack is called puchkas or fuchkas, and its distinctive element is the addition of tamarind pulp.

According to legends, the origins of this beloved snack can be traced back to the time of the epic Mahabharata. During this period, Draupadi, who had recently married five husbands, faced the challenge of feeding them with limited resources. With only some leftover potatoes, vegetables, and a small amount of wheat dough at her disposal, Draupadi ingeniously filled small pieces of fried dough with the potato and vegetable mixture. This innovative creation gave birth to the delightful delicacy known as pani puri.

The name pani puri comes from the Hindi words "pani" (water) and "puri" (a fried ball of dough). The snack is typically filled with a mixture of mashed potatoes, chickpeas, onions, and spices, and then topped with a flavored water. The flavored water can vary depending on the region, but it typically includes tamarind, mint, and chili peppers.

Pani puri is a popular snack food in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It is often sold by street vendors, and it is also a popular dish at festivals and parties.

The Google Doodle features a street vendor selling pani puri. The player can help the vendor by filling the puri shells with the desired ingredients and then topping them with the flavored water. The player must also keep the customers happy by filling their orders correctly.