George Bernard Shaw had rightly stated: “There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” A Delhi foodie will echo similar sentiments for the lip-smacking ‘papri chaat’, a goto-snack for every season and celebratory event.
Every single plate of this much-beloved snack arouses your sensory taste buds to such an extent that it leaves you yearning for more, even after you’ve scraped off the last spoonful of this yummy delicacy.
The crispy, crunchy deep-fried/air-fried/baked dough wafers known as ‘papri’, form the base of this sweet and savoury party appetizer.
Topped with an assortment of boiled potato cubes, chickpeas, chopped/grated veggies tossed in spices and drizzled with cooling yoghurt & flavour-some chutneys, with a generous sprinkling of a potent ‘chaat masala’, (spice mixture), lend this favourite all-time snack its unique tangy & zesty tongue-tingling taste.
A bite of this chaat results in a virtual burst of myriad flavours in the mouth. Chaat, by its very nature, is a sensory overload of contrasting textures, flavours, fillings and aromas of the different ingredients, which can be easily customised to cater to different palates.
Renowned food historian K T Achaya traces the origin of papri (fried cracker) to the 12th century in present-day Karnataka. It finds a mention as ‘purika’ in the Sanskrit encyclopaedic treatise ‘Manasollasa’, compiled by the Chalukyan King Someshwara III.
According to the noted culinary “anthropologist,” Kurush F Dalal, ‘chaat’ originated during the reign of Shah Jahan. Legend has it that the royal physician suggested the consumption of a tangy, spiced and highly flavoursome ‘chatpata'(lip-smacking) concoction as an antidote to the increasing alkaline content of the waters of the Yamuna.
The sweet and tangy taste of this potion soon caught the fancy of the masses and underwent several modifications in its different variants over the years, to evolve into the modern-day ‘chaat’.
Interestingly, one chaat shop occupies a prime place in the celebrated storyteller Ruskin Bond’s first literary venture ‘The Room On The Roof’.
Veteran cinestar Neena Gupta literally drools over papri chaat, which she eulogises as ‘highly soul-satisfying’.
Rubina Dilaik, the popular TV celebrity & Big Boss winner loves to binge on this gourmet dish and her recent Instagram post ‘School time fav # streetfood’ shows her gulping down a plateful of the flavorful chaat has already gone viral, with countless likes.
Although this highly comforting food is ubiquitous by its easy availability in almost every nook and corner at roadside pushcarts, smalltime eateries and restaurants in upscale markets, there are some must-visit joints where food connoisseurs can satiate their chaat cravings viz. the iconic ‘Ashok Chaat Bhandar’, Chawri Bazar with its mouth-tingling palate of papri and generous toppings of boiled potatoes, chickpeas and a heavenly blend of accoutrements; the delectable fare at the numerous outlets of Bittoo Tikki Wala (BTW) in the west & north Delhi; the highly delicious offer on the platter at Nathu’s Sweets, Bengali Market; the ‘Vaishno Chaat Bhandar, Kamla Nagar, (a popular haven for Delhi University students) with its pocket-friendly mouth-watering treat; the much sought-after scrumptious fare at Evergreen Sweet House, Green Park; the highly tangy & delicious yet homestyle flavourful offerings at the modest Sant Sweets, Kalkaji etc. So, are you ready for a ‘chaat’ outing to satisfy your sweet and savoury cravings?