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Papri chat facts for kids

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Papri chat
Papri Pakori Chat.JPG
Papri chaat
Type snack
Course hors d'oeuvre
Place of origin India
Region or state Indian subcontinent

Papri chaat is a super popular and yummy snack from countries like India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. It's a type of fast food and street food that many people enjoy. You might even find it in some restaurants in the United States!

How Papri Chaat is Made

Papdi-chaat
Papri chaat often has boiled potato, yogurt, and tasty chutneys.
Papri chaat with daal and empanadas
Papri chaat (right) served with dal and empanadas.

To make Papri chaat, you start with crispy fried dough wafers called papri. These are usually made from white flour and cooked in ghee (a type of butter) or oil.

Then, you add other yummy ingredients. These include boiled chickpeas and boiled potatoes. A creamy yogurt, called dahi, is also a key part.

For flavor, people add tamarind chutney, which is a sweet and sour sauce. It's often topped with a special spice mix called chat masala and crunchy little noodles called sev. Sometimes, mint, cilantro, and other spices are added too.

The best part about Papri chaat is its mix of tastes and textures! It can be sweet, sour, tangy, and spicy all at once. Plus, it's both creamy and crunchy, making it a fun snack to eat.

What's in a Name?

The name Papri refers to the crispy wafers in the dish. The word chaat comes from an old Sanskrit word, caṭ. This word means "tasting with a fingertip" and also sounds like the noise you make when you taste something delicious!

Chaat also refers to many other fast food dishes and snacks in India. It's a general term for these tasty street foods.

Did you know that a recipe for papri (called purika back then) was written down a long time ago? It was in a book called Manasollasa. This book was like an encyclopedia from the 12th century, put together by a ruler named Someshvara III in what is now Karnataka, India.

Where to Find Papri Chaat

Papri chaat is a very popular street food in India. You'll often see it sold at mobile food stalls or small carts. People buy it right there on the street to enjoy a quick and tasty snack.

It's especially popular in the northern parts of India. So, if you visit that region, you're very likely to find people enjoying this delicious dish!

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Papri chaat para niños

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