Kolkata Street Foods: There's a reason why Kolkata is referred to as the 'City of Joy'. Though historians believe Kolkata (then Calcutta) has been inhabited for thousands of years, its documented history begins only after the arrival of Job Charnock on behalf of the British East India Company in 1690. Since then, the city has undergone various social, cultural, and economic changes, shaping the character of what modern Kolkata is today.
Kolkata's food also has a major role to play in shaping the city's vibe. If you explore, you will come across different types of dishes with different origins, hinting at the cultural impressions each community has left over the years. You will find Bengali food of West Bengal and East Bengal (now Bangladesh), Anglo-Indian cuisine, Indo-Chinese foods, Parsi cuisine, Sheherwali food culture, Mughlai cuisine, Bohri foods, and more - each has a significant spot on the food map of Kolkata.
It stands true for the street foods of Kolkata as well. Rightly referred to as the melting pot of cultures, street foods of Kolkata have a strong influence of Chinese, Marwari, Nepali, and various other cultures. Take the classic phuchkas for instance.
Phuchkas and pani puris are the same or not has been a constant question for all. Kalyan Karmakar explains that they aren't the same. While they might look similar, "the puchka casing is flakier than the hard and crunchy one of puris".
Next, unlike the ragda and bundi of pani puri, phuchka is served with spicy alo.
