Call it Gol Gappa, Panipuri or Phuchka. There is something about the snack that triggers the glutton in us. Why else, would we think of challenging a friend for a gol gappa challenge, or ditch our diets to sneak in one more gol gappa? A gol gappa has three components, a puffy, ball-sized puri, a filling, typically made of boiled potatoes, chickpeas and coriander leaves and the fiery ‘gol gappe ka paani’, the spicy water, typically made with mint, coriander, chaat masala, green chillies, cumin powder etc. It is so hot and yummy than people often ask for an extra glass of this water after they are done with their round of gol gappas. For those who cannot fathom so much heat, the street food vendors often keep a tumbler of ‘meetha paani’ or sweet water which is usually made of sweet and tangy tamarind chutney and water. A video of ‘Ayurvedic Pani Puri’ that is going viral online has grabbed attention for an unusual phenomenon that compelled us to go back to our middle-school science lessons.
Having clocked in more than 6.4 million views in 4 weeks, this video by YouTube creators @eatographer was filmed at a local Nashik street food stall, Ayurvedic Panipuri. In the video, we can see the vendor with a shot glass and steel cup. In the steel cup he pulls out some ‘meetha paani’ from the container, post this, in the same cup, he pours the ‘teekha paani’ from another cup. The ‘magic’ really begins after this. When he is about to pour the water in the shot glass from the steel cup, he is able to pour the spicy water first, followed by the sweet water, in sequence- without using any tool to segregate the two, much to the surprise of the creator who was left gobsmacked at the sequence of events. ‘Paani Peene Ke Waqt Aapko Pehle Meetha Lagega, Fir Spicy (When you drink this, you would first find the liquid sweet and then spicy)” the vendor remarks after his confident act. Two liquids in the same cup that do not mix, now what does that remind you of?
Many Netizens in the comment section tried to deduce the science behind the phenomenon. “Fluid mechanics and density. Simple physics man”, wrote a user. There were many funny and cheeky responses too. “When an engineer sells pani puri”, a user commented. “Density be like:-bola tha 9th ki Physics padh le”, wrote another user. “Density left the chat”, read another tongue-in-cheek remark.
The YouTube shot also impressed many viewers for the vendor's speed and deft skills. You can watch the complete video here and let us know how you liked it.
And if that made you crave for panipuri, then here's a recipe that will satisfy your cravings.