From the wok to the mouth

Mouth-watering

Almost every street food vendor you stop by has them carefully arranged one on top of the other. The sight of people gulping them down and drinking along the temptingly flavoured water is inviting enough to devour a mouthful.

Gol-gappas have defined North-Indian street food for years now. But where does this typical food item come from is rarely explored. Tucked away in the corner of old Delhi’s lanes are some unacknowledged households who are constantly frying gol-gappas and filling basket after basket. While the majority are based in Old Delhi’s Lal Kuan area, others work in the surrounding lanes.

Categorised broadly into atta and suji gol-gappas, the ingredients are not too complicated. But the effort involved in frying each piece is indeed a task.“This work requires a lot of hard work. We constantly have to keep an eye, to ensure all pieces are properly shaped and fried. But even then some get burnt or do not puff up at all,” says Naresh, an elderly man who has been in this business for the past 30 years. The wasted gol-gappas are used as papri in other food items.

“Earlier we used to work almost fulltime. But it is very exhausting, especially in this heat. Now we only devote two-three hours every morning. I do a job to support the family as this is not enough to sustain us anymore. In any case, ours is not a big business setup like Haldirams or other big brands. We supply only to small vendors in the locality,” adds Naresh’s son, helping his parents continue the deteriorating family business.

Sold at Rs 90 per 100 pieces to the vendors and Rs 100 per 100 pieces to the people who buy for personal consumption, the costs involved in the raw materials are obviously higher than the revenue. “An oil canister used to cost Rs 60, but now the price has risen to Rs 1300. Also, people no longer depend on us for gol-gappas as they have started making themselves. Largely a seasonal business, the gol-gappas are not crunchy enough in monsoon because of high humidity levels, and sales in winter are less because of the cold,” Naresh’s wife, Geeta Devi shares, taking out gol-gappas from the huge karahi or wok.

Modernisation has affected this business too. Readymade raw gol-gappas are now extensively available along with packed pani-puri packets with all the ingredients, making them a preferred choice. “People no longer want to make the effort of going to the market. Readymade options have greatly affected our business,” says Madhu, working outside Naresh’s home.

The legacy is fast fading as the “new generation just do not enjoy this work. Even we want them to do jobs,” says Babulal, another gol-gappa manufacturer based in Gali Batasha, Khari Baoli.

Although new and convenient options have come up, the taste of home-made crispy gol-gappas remains unparalleled. Even as you conveniently select your favourite from among the atta or suji variants, spare a thought for those who labour to bring the final piece to your mouth. The business is worth being preserved, for this one reason alone.