The craze of tiny food trucks serving delicious foods from numerous cuisines has grown immensely in recent years. From delicious and affordable sandwiches to decadent quesadillas and burritos, the evolution of foods served and sold by food trucks is evidently remarkable.
When in Bhubaneswar, Khau Galli near Ram Mandir is my usual weekend hangout spot. From days when I want to indulge in some Mexican delights from Qdoba to days when I’m broke to the point that I can’t afford anything else than cheap desi Chinese, Khau Galli's food trucks serve all the purposes. These food trucks have sprouted up in numerous places in India now. However, if we go back in history to trace their roots in India, then it is believed that these food trucks originated in Delhi.
Legend has it that a man named Aroon Narula was running a canteen inside the campus of Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi. In the year 1976, he along with one of his friends Sunil Bhandari planned to turn a didge into a fully functional 18 feet kitchen with an exhaust fan on the top of the dodge. Unaware of such designs in India, the two creative foodies couldn’t get a license to run their business. However, the determined Aroon procured the license from one of his friend’s uncles who was a senior employee in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Finally, the colourfully painted truck ’Hawker’ hit the roads of Delhi and people were crazy about the advanced truck. They started off by selling Chinese food and their dishes were a hit. Seeing a large number of customers at the food truck, many other street food vendors set up their trucks near ‘Hawker’ and soon occupied the entire place.
This street kitchen idea transcended borders and soon travelled to Mumbai where people started selling their regional delicacies like Vadapao and Pav Bhaji. These food trucks have now emerged around most cities in India and are a hit.
So, the next time you visit Khau Galli, remember to thank Aroon and Sunil for their creativity and contribution towards the emergence of these buzzing busy streets serving a variety of delicious dishes.