Street Food Tales: Old Delhi

In the sprawling mass of Old Delhi – its hidden mosques, giant gates and crumbling mansions – are a handful of eateries that have locals and visitors coming back for more.!

This is the biggest bazaar of them all, home to some of the largest wholesale trades in Asia. Thousands throng its streets every day. For many sightseers, the first glimpse of Old Delhi is when they emerge from the modern, air-conditioned metro station into the chaos, dirt and hardship of Chandni Chowk.

What was once the grand Mughal capital now remains studded with royal buildings and crumbling balconies tangled in a maze of electrical wires. At street level, hawkers bellow, dogs scavenge through the waste, and frail rickshaw pullers struggle with loads five times their own weight.!

Yet, a stagger and a push away, among all the disorder, is the heart of Delhi’s street food. Here you’ll discover the city’s appetite and its penchant for sinful savouries and snacks.

From kebabs to kheer (a sweet rice pudding) and lassi (sweet yogurt-based drink), to puri (deep-fried Indian bread), the range of tasty street food is vast. But the surprising and memorable dishes are not in upmarket, plush restaurants. In India, the best is often to be found in the most unappetizing of locations – in the heat, dust and flies of its streets.