Why Is Google Celebrating Pani Puri With A Doodle? Journey of Gol Gappa From Ancient Age to Modern Plate!

Google Doodle: Google celebrates the popular South Asia street food Pani Puri with a doodle, today. Pani Puri is a crispy shell stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, spices, or chilis and flavoured waters. In the interactive doodle game, Google allows users to help a street vendor fulfil pani puri orders by assisting them to choose from different pani puri flavours to match the flavour and quantity preferences of each customer. 

Source: Google

Why is Google celebrating Pani Puri on July 12th?

Google usually doodles to mark special occasions. Scrolling back, on this day in 2015, a restaurant in Indore, Madhya Pradesh achieved the World Record for serving the most flavours of pani puri by offering 51 options, under the guidance of Masterchef Neha Shah. So, google decided to celebrate the spicy affair with a colourful doodle.

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What is the journey of Pani Puri from the Ancient Age to the Modern Plate?

Pani Puri, also known as Golgappa, Puchka, or Fulki in different regions of India, is a popular street food snack that has a long and diverse history. While it's challenging to pinpoint the exact origins of Pani Puri, it is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern regions of India.

As per folklore of the epic Mahabharata, Draupadi was given a task to feed his five husbands with limited resources. She only had a small amount of wheat dough and potatoes some other vegetables and water. Making the most of all available ingredients, she served puris stuffed with mashed potatoes and vegetables along with flavoured water. This amazing recipe proved her skills and abilities as a homemaker.

On the other hand, the origins of Pani Puri can be traced back to the ancient city of Magadh, in present-day Bihar, India, where it was known as 'phulki.' It was primarily a snack made for the wealthy and aristocratic families. Over time, it gained popularity and spread to other parts of the country, each region adding its unique twist to the dish.

Some say, in the 12th century, during the reign of Mahmud of Ghazni, the dish made its way to the Indian subcontinent through Afghanistan and Persia. It was referred to as "phuchhka" in Bengal and "gup chup" in Odisha. In these regions, the puris were smaller and crispier than the ones found in other parts of India.

Later, in the 19th century, Pani Puri gained popularity in the streets of North India, particularly in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. It quickly became a favourite street food snack due to its delicious taste, affordability, and convenience. The vendors would set up small stalls or carts with a variety of ingredients, attracting customers with the sound of the crispy puris being crushed and filled with delectable stuffing.

And soon, Pani Puri became an integral part of Indian street food culture, loved by millions of people worldwide. The symbol of Indian cuisine continues to evolve and adapt to different tastes and preferences.

Google says, “Though there are many different types of filling and pani for everyone's unique palette, there are two things everyone can agree on: 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.”

Do not forget to play the Pani Puri game.

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