Panipuri Meets Shawarma: A Puzzling Combination Disrupts Food Enthusiasts [watch]

By Nancy Tiwari  |  First Published Jun 18, 2024, 5:51 PM IST

The fusion of Panipuri with shawarma has sparked debate online, showcasing ongoing culinary creativity and experimentation.
 

There's no shortage of unusual food combinations, and Panipuri, also known as Golgappe, often finds itself in these culinary experiments. Despite its popularity, purists are typically skeptical about altering this traditional street food. Yet, a new peculiar creation has surfaced: the "Pani Puri Shawarma."

A user named Mohammed Futurewala shared a video of this innovative dish on a microblogging platform. The video showcases a vendor in Surat who ingeniously blends the essence of shawarma with panipuri. The vendor can be seen in the video preparing the filling with different sauces, salad, potato fries, and shredded chicken. These ingredients are then stuffed inside the puris and generously topped with chutney, ketchup, and a copious amount of cheese.

Ismail, a pani puri vendor from Surat, embarked on a journey to Turkey, where he was captivated by the flavors of shawarma. Upon his return, he ingeniously fused the two cuisines, creating the unique and delectable Pani Puri Shawarma. His innovative dish quickly became a… pic.twitter.com/0JvsVaB3Ut

— Mohammed Futurewala (@MFuturewala)

In his caption, Mohammed humorously suggests that the vendor must have been inspired during a trip to Turkey to create this "unique and delectable" panipuri shawarma. He mentions that the dish has gained popularity locally, attracting food enthusiasts from nearby areas. On social media, however, people's reactions to the popular video have been inconsistent. Some voiced disgust and disbelief, while others commended the creative blend.

One user commented humorously, "We need to reduce our milk production. Cheese seems to appear in every dish nowadays." Another user remarked, "I couldn't bear watching further after seeing the mayonnaise 'chutney' on top of panipuri."A different commenter pointed out critically that "street food vendors these days have an obsession with cheese." Positively speaking, someone another said, "It's not horrible at all! Poori ought to be amenable to such experimentation, much like dosa."

This isn't the first time such unconventional panipuri variations have caught the internet's attention. Previously, there was a viral trend of "gold and silver" panipuri from Bengaluru, where puris were filled with dry fruits and honey, dipped in thandai, and garnished with edible gold and silver sheets.

These experiments highlight people's endless fascination with reinventing beloved street foods like panipuri, despite traditionalists preferring to stick to the original flavors. As culinary boundaries continue to blur, it's clear that innovation in street food will always find eager takers willing to try something new and unexpected.
 

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