Pani Puri vs Golgappa vs Puchka: Which is the tastier version of this street food?

There's something about pani puri that has us all hooked. We can never have enough of it. Our life seems very hollow without this hollow puri with delicious filling and flavoured water. This street food is not just a snack, it's an emotion and it's our one true love. No one can really pass by a pani puri stall and ignore the delectable scent of this scrumptious street food. We really don't know who invented this amazing spicy delight but we sure know that we cannot thank that person enough. The great chef who invented this delicious snack has surely received loads of blessings from people of all ages since this delightful street food was invented. The true story of pani puri is lost in the pages of history but it is believed that during the time of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan there was a cholera outbreak which is why people ended up having to boil water and drink it which did not taste very nice. In order to improve the flavour of water different traditional herbs, spices, sweets and masalas were added to it and this is how pani puri came about to be but many people believe that this snack originated from the kingdom of Magadh. Another legend is that when Draupadi was a newly-wedded bride her mother-in-law, Kunti, wanted to test her skills and gave her some leftover aloo sabzi and some dough to make a meal to satisfy the hunger of all 5 of her sons and that's how Draupadi invented Pani puri. Now we do not know the truth behind these stories but we do know that pani puri has a variety of names and flavours and it's the one never-ending battle between which version of Pani puri is better!

Pani Puri

In Maharastra and Andhra Pradesh, this snack is known as pani puri and has a filling of warm boiled chickpeas masala and also has boondi and sprouts. The pani served is spicy and tangy.

Golgappa

Golgappa contains potato filling with jal jeera and pudina flavoured water. The hollow puri used in golgappas are available in two types. You can have the atta golgappa or the sooji golgappa depending on your taste.

Puchka

In West Bengal and Assam, this snack is called puchka or puska. It contains a filling of mashed potatoes and spices and tamarind pulp and chilli. It is served with tamarind water and spices.

Gup Chup

This version of golgappa is much lighter with boiled yellow peas filling with chopped onions and chilly, jal jeera and tamarind flavoured water. It is usually a little on the spicy side.

Bataasha

In Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, it is known as bataasha or pani ke baatashe and has boiled peas filling and has a spicy mint, tamarind, chilli powder and pepper flavoured water.

But in the end, no matter what the name may be we absolutely love this scrumptious spicy street food to no end. What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.