We often say that food brings people together, but in the case of Indian street food, the topic can spark some pretty big feelings. Every state has its own specialities and for many, it’s a point of pride to defend their favourites. That’s probably why Taste Atlas’ latest list ranking the Top 10 Worst Indian Street Foods is being met with a lot of mixed feelings.
The list surprised netizens by featuring some of the country’s most iconic and (so we thought) beloved street foods. In 10th, 9th and 8th place respectively we find the South Indian potato bonda, gobi parathas and papri chaat. Next up is the fasting favourite sabudana vada followed by dahi vada which definitely raised a lot of eyebrows.
The top five of the worst kicked off with the breakfast staple egg bhurji, a dish we previously thought impossible to mess up. In fourth place is the iconic Bombay sandwich, yes Mumbai staple made the list. Next is Gujarat’s sweet and spicy Kutchi Dabeli quickly followed by its topping Sev in second place. Who knew even sev could be divisive?
And topping the list is Maharashtra’s Dahi Puri, a take on pani puri filled with fresh curd, potatoes, chaat masala, onions, and a variety of chutneys and topped with the number two on this list, sev.
Check out the full list below:
- Dahi Puri
- Sev
- Dabeli
- Bombay Sandwich
- Egg Bhurji
- Dahi Vada
- Sabudana Vada
- Papri Chaat
- Gobi Paratha
- Bonda
While many of you reading must be outraged with the choices, it’s good to keep in mind that the Taste Atlas ranking is banked on an audience vote which is then filtered for validity and out of the 2,508 ratings for the “10 Worst Rated Indian Street Foods” list up until August 17, 2023, of which 1,773 were accepted.
Recently they also caused a lot of debate in their comment sections when Korean Fried Chicken wasn’t mentioned on a list of the World’s Best Fried Chicken, and then again when their list of India’s best food and drinks included things like Garam Masala, ‘Madras Curry’ and Gin and Tonic.
So if you’re feeling down about your favourite streetside treat finding itself on a best-of-the-worst list, just remember that everyone’s tastes are subjective and nobody is going to stop you from going out and getting a delicious dahi puri for lunch today!