The street dish called Panipuri in Mumbai, is called puchka in Kolkata, fulki in MP, Batashey in UP and Bihar and Golgappe in Delhi. All of them are the same, the fried aata [flour] is served with spicy water, mashed potatoes, cooked peas and sweet chutney. One can also enjoy the spicy flavours of Bhelpuri, Aalu Bonda, Sevpuri, Bhutta, Aalu chaat, Tikki, Vada Pav, Dosa, Raj Kachori, Pakoras etc.

Though street food was never unpopular, but now, it is really growing well in the business. Indian burgers like Dabeli and Vadaa Paav are full of taste and work well in filling an empty stomach. Richa Taneja, a 20 year old student of SIMC, Pune finds Vadaa Paav better than the Mc Donald’s burger. She says “Street food is ‘in’ and it will always be, so it should be tested and acclaimed.”

 

Another Mumbai student Kruttika Salunke loves to travel and she says “I always try and eat the local food of the place where I am in. It allows me to taste and compare the different flavours of India.”

Every state or city has its own uniqueness and typical genre in the food that is available on its street. For example, the Kathi kababs of Lucknow seems to be so difficult to reproduce in the kitchens of the other cities. Ushnota Paul, a student from Kolkata, quotes “I have tried every food joint and street markets in different cities. As for Kolkata fish fries, I have abandoned the hope of finding it anywhere else.”

 

Even the vendors agree that the authentic taste and flavour of street dishes differ from place to place. A local street food vendor, Mohan says, “No matter how much I try to recreate the essence of UP in my food items, I always fail.” But nevertheless, it is not completely impossible to provide cosmopolitan street food in one palette at one place, since chefs, spices and ingredients can be commuted from one place to another.