PANI PURI

"In West Bengal and specifically Calcutta,Phuchka is considered to be THE king of this variety of snacks, compared to it's cousins like golgappas or panipuris. The filling is made by lightly mashing boiled potatoes with black salt, salt, some spices, a generous portion of tamarind pulp (made by mashing ripe tamarind in tamarind water), chilli (powder/chopped/boiled & pasted). The tamarind water Tetul Jol is made by mixing tamarind and spices/ salt and making a light and tart liquid with water. At some places like Deshpriya Park, a very famous variety is made with sour curd, and called Dahi (curd) Phucka. Onions are never used in Phuchkas.

The panipuri originated from the Magadh region of India, present day South Bihar. The English meaning of golgappa is "watery indian bread" or "crisp sphere eaten." Literary mentions suggest that it may have originated from Banares

Its popular names and the area where it is known by this name are:

§  Gol gappa, Water balls — New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Bihar

§  Pani ke bataashe— Uttar Pradesh

§  Pani ke bataashe — Rajasthan

§  Panipuri — Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra

§ Phuchka — West Bengal

§  Gup chup — Orrisa