The History of Pani Puri

If you Google "pani puri history," a bunch of inaccurate results pop up. Including the story that Draupadi, the main female character in the Mahabharata, invented the popular street snack.

But that story is impossible (whether or not you believe the Maharabhatha was true). As they say, the truth is in the stuffing.

Potatoes are not native to South Asia 🥔 The Portuguese colonizers brought them over in the 16th century. So pani puri can only be 400ish years old max.

But at Kahaani, we are interested in not just discerning fact from fiction, but also contemplating why fiction existed in the first place. 🤔

Let’s examine the tale of Draupadi - the story is that Draupadi’s mother-in-law Kunti gave her some leftover aloo sabzi and a small amount of dough. Kunti challenged her to cook something that would satisfy Draupadi’s husband and four brothers. Draupadi then invented pani puri, which delighted the entire family.

Was the purpose of that story to demonstrate her ingenuity? To perpetuate the stereotype of evil mother-in-law / selfless daughter-in-law? To showcase Draupadi's unwavering sense of marital duty? When that part of the story was added to the Mahabharata, what was the role of women in South Asia?

So many deep questions to contemplate the next time you eat pani puri....which could be TODAY! Head over to @chaiandchurros 's page for a new recipe :)