Tiny Crispy Punugulu, Giant Food Memories
Some foods are not just snacks. They become places. And for me, Punugulu will always taste like Vijayawada. Hot evenings. Humid air. Tiny roadside bandis glowing under yellow lights. Tomato chutney dripping from crispy punugulu. The sound of traffic. The excitement of discovering a city through food. And somehow, every single time I eat punugulu, my mind quietly goes back there. Now before any Telugu person dramatically says, “Of course punugulu are famous,” yes, I know. Andhra, Telangana, Rayalaseema — we all know the power of punugulu. And yes, challa punugulu are a completely different emotion altogether, but today belongs only to these crispy little golden beauties. My connection with Vijayawada comes through my mother’s hometown, Aagiripalli, which is a few hours away from the city. Whenever we visited relatives or attended functions there, Vijayawada usually became our stop before catching another bus onward. Most of those trips were rushed. Packed schedules. Functions. R...