By Saneela Jawad
One of the best and most delicious ways one can learn about a country is through its food.
Standing as a testament to a country’s heritage, history and traditions, local cuisine and the way it is prepared offers a unique window into the lives of its citizens and the experiences it has to offer those who visit its shores.
The charming appeal of street food – rustic, uniquely delicious meals that are affordable yet tasty – showcases the cultural roots of the locals, the region’s tapestry of flavors and celebrates creativity, innovation and uncovers new ways of approaching food.
Who do we give credit for introducing street food in our lives?
Rome was home to the world’s first street food fans where “food on the go was an integral part of daily life in the empire, from nibbling on salted peas while watching gladiator’s battle in the Colosseum, to grabbing a sausage or fried fish snack after a dip in Rome’s famed baths,” according to NewsWeek Pakistan. Today, the street food movement has exploded into a melting pot of mouth-watering creations, foodie innovations and a beautiful celebration of culture, cuisine and identity.
In South Asia, street food is much more than hot dog vendors, trendy food trucks and food warnings that pepper almost every travel guide. It is a culture that is beloved, world-famous and truly an art form in its own right.
Despite their painful history and conflict between India and Pakistan, they do share a mouth-watering street food culture that is beloved by its locals and visitors alike. We’re talking papri chat, samosas, dahi bhalay, jalebi , gol gappas, gola gandas and the list goes on.
From the simplest of parathas to the gastronomical fusion of Asian cuisine, these street food vendors are not just chefs; they are performers who don’t do it simply to serve food, but to practice, cultivate and pass on an art form they have perfected over time.
“It is easy for a chef at a fancy restaurant to take pride in his food,” said Vir Sanghvi from Hindustan Times. “But when you run a stall on the streets, are constantly harassed by the municipal corporation, forced to pay bribes to the cops and barely make enough to feed your family, and still care about the quality of your food and take pride in your craft – well that, to me, is real passion. It’s that passion that makes India great, and keeps our food so delicious.”
Robyn Eckhadt who happens to dine on the street naturally says that, “what can be more assuring than watching your food made in front of you?”
While we may struggle to make the perfect ‘karak chai’ or the perfect round ‘roti,’ here are a few artistic street vendors in action doing what they do best in a beautiful and remarkable way:
1. Round Roti or Roti Blanket?
This man sure knows how to put up a show without making a mess. While any normal person would probably have dough all over himself trying to imitate this guy, this roti-wala’s skilful flipping, swapping and stretching of the dough makes it look as easy as toast.
This special roti blanket is usually served at weddings with chicken ‘shorba’ (curry).
2. The unusual art of the chai wala
Finding joy in the simple things like making tea in their own way, at their own pace, these chai-wallas’ shifts often go on for more than 12 hours a day. Still, nothing seems to wipes that signature smile that comes with every cup.
Check out this chai vendor’s gravity-defying moves while squeezing milk out of the packet at arm’s length to give the tea some frothy goodness.
3. The art of Jalebi making
One of the most popular sweets in the Indo-Pak subcontinent, jalebis are delicious deep-fried, pretzel-shaped wheat dough soaked in sugar syrup. The secret to a good jalebi is getting the shape perfect and carefully crafting it to be as thin and crispy as possible.
The man making jalebi in this video deftly curls the batter into the hot oil to make sure it doesn’t spill over and the delicate sweets hold their shape as they crisp up. They are then dipped into the sugar syrup, making every syrup-soaked bite is as crunchy and delicious as the last.
4. Hands in boiling oil
Prem Singh, 65, is famous for a very unusual skill – plucking deep-fried fish from a vat of boiling oil, heated up to 200C, with his bare hands. His loyal customers keep coming back to the chef’s restaurant in the backstreets of Old Delhi, not just for his tasty fare, but to catch a glimpse of the vendor’s unique skill that he has perfected over the last 25 years.
“I have been doing this for 25 years. It is just about experience,” said Singh. “I put my hand into hot oil once. Later I did it again. I soon realized that the hot oil did not do me any harm.”
He now hopes that his sons will carry on with hand frying tradition as well.
5. Crazy corn music
This corn seller is serving up delicious cups of corn sprinkled with spices with an amazing tune and performance to make the wait a little easier.
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Elan.tv
I don’t care what anyone else says. Street food in both countries are D-licious!
I mean, what do we know what goes on in the kitchen to complain about the conditions that street food is prepared in. At least here, you can see your food being made and eat it hot and fresh right then and there. 😀 YUM!!!