Google pays tribute to India's most beloved street food, paani-puri, with brilliant interactive Doodle

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

paani-puri (also known asgolgappa and phuchka) is arguably the most popular street food in South Asia. Although the beloved snack has drawn the ire of hypochondriacs and health enthusiasts, it has continued to survive and even thrive on the streets of South Asia, as no desi can avoid the lure of this filling, crunchy snack. Despite the ongoing ‘hygiene debate’ Indians continue to be enamoured by paani-puri. Google paid tribute to the iconic snack through an adorable doodle on Wednesday, July 12. In the interactive doodle game, the player is asked to help the street vendor choose the best paani-puri for clients! The players have to choose a paani-puri that suits the flavour preferences of the customer for the vendor. Although flavoured potato stuffing is undoubtedly, the most popular filling for paani-puri, there are some regional variations. In Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the filling consists of potatoes, boiled chickpeas, and sprouts coated in tangy water. The North Indian counterpart offers a potato and chickpea filling that comes with jaljeera-flavored water. In West Bengal, a generous helping of tamarind paste is added to the jaljeera water.

The origins of this delicious snack are still heavily debated. However, some historians believe the first paani-puri was made in ancient Magadha (now South Bihar). It was then known as phulki. There is also a popular legend associated with this snack. Draupadi ( the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata’) faced a huge dilemma when she had to feed five husbands. With some leftover potatoes and vegetables and wheat, the resourceful princess came up with a mouth-watering delicacy. She fried small pieces of wheat dough and filled them with a