Chaat

Chaat

Bhala Papri chaat in dahi with Saunth chutney
Origin
Place of origin	India

Chaat (Hindi: चाट) is a term describing savoury snacks, typically served at road-side tracks from stalls or carts in India. With its origins in east India, chaat has become immensely popular in the rest of India and the rest of South Asia. The word derives from Hindi cāṭ चाट (tasting, a delicacy), from cāṭnā चाटना (to lick), from Prakrit caṭṭei चट्टेइ (to devour with relish, eat noisily).^[1]

Overview

Aloo tikki served with Mint and Saunth chutneys, and dahi

A young man at his chaat stand in Mussoorie, India. The main text on the front says "bhel puri" and "sev puri" in Hindi. In the plastic bag are puris for panipuri; the yellow substance is sev; the fried crackers are papdi; the white substance is puffed rice; and the other things are chopped onions, limes and tomatoes.

The chaat variants are all based on fried dough, with various other ingredients. The original chaat is a mixture of potato pieces, crispy fried bread Dahi vada or Dahi Bhalla ("Bhalla" in Hindi), gram or chickpeas and tangy-salty spices, with sour home-made Indian chilli and Saunth (dried ginger and tamarind sauce), fresh green coriander leaves and yogurt for garnish, but other popular variants included Aloo tikkis (garnished with onion, coriander, hot spices and a dash of curd), bhel puri, dahi puri, panipuri, dahi vada, papri chaat, and sev puri.

There are common elements among these variants including dahi, or yogurt; chopped onions and coriander; sev (small dried yellow salty noodles); and chaat masala. This is a masala, or spice mix, typically consisting of amchoor (dried mango powder), cumin, Kala Namak (rock salt), coriander, dried ginger, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. The ingredients are combined and served on a small metal plate or a banana leaf, dried and formed into a bowl.

History

Most chaats originated in Uttar Pradesh, but they are now eaten across South Asia. Some are results of cultural syncretism - for instance, pav bhaji (Bread/bun with cooked and mashed vegetables) reflects a Portuguese influence, in the form of a bun, and bhel puri (Sev puri), was created by a Gujarati migrant to Mumbai.

Regions

In cities where chaat is popular, there are popular chaathouses or dhabas, such as Mumbai's Chowpatty Beach. The chaat specialities vary from city to city. Chaat from Agra and Mathura are famous throughout India. In Hyderabad, chaat is mostly prepared by vendors hailing from Bihar, and is different in taste.

Specialities

Delhi Chaat with saunth chutney

Aloo chaat vendor, Connaught Place, New Delhi

• Panipuri/Gol gappa
• Papri chaat
• Aloo Chaat - Aloo (potatoes) are cut into small pieces and then fried till crisp and served with chutney
• Dahi puri
• Dahi vada
• Aloo tikki
• Bhelpuri
• Chila - Besan pancakes served with chutney and sooth (sweet chutney)
• Bhala/Aloo Tikki
• Pakora - Different things such as paneer, vegetable dipped in besan (Chickpea/gram flour) paste and fried.
• Samosa Chaat - Samosa is broken into pieces with green and sweet chutney added to it.
• Mangode - Similar to pakora, but besan paste is replaced with yellow moong paste.
• Bedai - Puri stuffed with dal and fried till crisp. Typically served with aloo sabji and eaten for breakfast.

References

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Chaat. Mar. 2005 Online edition. Retrieved 2008-02-18.