Ye Dilli Hai Meri Jaan I

A Taste of Delhi

I have never been an admirer of street side foods. But when it comes Delhi, the ethnic street food is just too hard to resist. The choice is wide – Samosas, kachoris, chana-kulchas, chaat-papris, kulfi and rabri. Old Delhi has a rich culture of roadside foods that lays itself bare on the stalls in all its flavours and customs.

Here street food is a grand old tradition from the times when vendors with their basket, full of goodies perched precariously on their heads, went from door to door selling a variety of snacks. Today they are found lining up the streets of Chandni Chowk with their stalls on wheels which double up as their kitchen and the dining table.

Eating ethnic road-side food, while roaming the streets of Old Delhi is an experience in itself. I still remember my college days when I along with my friend Sushant often used to go all the way to Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid just to savour these spicy treats. And this is not just about me and Sushant, we have met many people who travel through the crowded streets of Old Delhi in search of the steaming hot foods prepared from fresh ingredients. The finger-licking food and the crowded markets just transports you to an era long gone by.

In fact some of these vendors have gained such a reputation that people travel far to eat there. For example, there is an old man selling Chhole Kulche in Nai Sarak, who we found out was selling here for the last fifty years. And then there is another man with his typical call 'Paanch – Paanch Ke', attracting everyone's attention. Actually, 'Paanch – Paanch Ke' refers to Faluda Kulfi sold for Rs. 5. Among all the varieties my favourite is one 'Pakore wala'. He serves different chutneys with different pakoras, as he says “chutney and pakoras are a combination, and you need right combination for right taste”.

During one of our rendezvous, we met a person from South Africa, Allan Marillier. He told us that he visits India at least once every six months, and whenever he is here he takes a trip to Chandni Chowk for freshly baked naan-khatais , which he referred as Indian cookies.

With advent McDonalds and Haldirams, and strict rules of Municipal Corporation of Delhi, many feared the disappearance of street vendors and along with them the ethnic taste of Old Delhi. But yet, despite adversities, the narrow by lanes of Delhi's Chandini Chowk have managed to hang on to their traditional foods that transport you back to an era gone by. Ironically, Frito-Lay has started calling one of its chips variety Street Chaat and McDonalds, apparently been inspired by the alloo-tikki, calls one of its most popular burgers the McAloo Tikki!