Back in 2004 while watching Mani Ratnam’s much-admired film Yuva, which was shot extensively in Kolkata, me and my mom were annoyed by a certain act in the movie. Well this act in question is not a very controversial one nor was it sexually tinted. It was a mere Phuchka eating scene performed by Kareen Kapoor Khan that made me and my mom utter out loud “nyaka” (closest English translation coquettish, one Bengali word which beats any translation) in a hall full of people. As a Bengali it is very important to get the basics accurate about our culture, so when we saw Kareen Kapoor Khan nimbly biting small pieces of Phuchka while chatting with her friends (dramatic pause), YES WE SAW RED.
For us, Kolkatans, Phuchka is an integral part of our culture as well as our lives. The absolute delight in popping the whole crispy round ball into the mouth, the salty, tangy, hot taste of the smashed potato along with the specially made tamarind water – HEAVEN. Small and simple details which make a dish one of its kind are carefully woven in the recipe. Similarly, keeping in mind the wishes and choices of customers, Kolkata’s Phucka has made itself unparalleled among the street cuisine in the city as well as in India.
The history of how this delicacy came into existence is a blurry and unscripted one. It is said to have originated in the Magadha region of India, present day South Bihar, where it is still known as Phulki. Phuchka is not only a Kolkata favorite but as a matter of fact it is very popular throughout India and its neighboring countries albeit in different names and changes in presentation. The dish is also known as Panipuri (Water filled sphere), Gol Gappa ( the round shape of the puris), Phulki (hollow crisp sphere of bread), Gup Shup (as it is often devoured over casual talk), all over the regions of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nepal, Bangladesh and even in Pakistan. Phuchka in Kolkata gets its name from the sound it makes when eaten.
Although as we have seen, that Phuchka is available all over India, but the Kolkata counterpart is hailed to be the most famous of all. One will never have trouble finding a Phuchka stall at every nook and corner of the city. In every lane and by lane, a “Phuchkawalla” will be found selling his fares on his small but astoundingly strong mobile cart to a varied haranguing crowd. It will come as a surprise to many, how his small cart which is often without wheels and is carried on shoulders, holds his various assortments together, without dumping down under the collective weight. The glass box containing the Phuchkas, the big steel pictcher for the tamarind water, the masala boxes, the smashed potato and what not makes a ideal Phucka station. And not to forget, it takes great patience and resilience to be a Phuchkawalla. Not all can achieve that feat of making incredibly delicious Phuckha along with handling a thousand odd requests and chaos around him. Each customers has a want of their own, some want it a bit more salty, some prefer it tangy while others want more chilies to be added. A Phuchkawalla deftly keeps track of this entire request list and like a man on mission delivers the exact Phuchka on the exact plate in minimum time.
So what makes this round crisp hollow breads so famous and dear?? Well the answer is simple. It is not just a part of our culture, but somewhere down the line and time it has become a loved family member. We share our joys, sorrows, tears, laughs, rivalries, gossips over a plate of Phuchka. We flirt, argue, and fall in love over a plate of Phuchkas. It is over a plate of these round friends that we share our lives with the chaos of the world and with the love of our dear ones. Unknowingly and sometimes knowingly a plate of Phuchka becomes our sole companion over extraordinary moments of our life. Life becomes synonymous over a plate of Phuchka.
P.S. – And not to mention the sheer joy of getting a Phau (dried panipuri without the water) and gulping it down the same way as others at the end of the meal.
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