By Mohammad Javed Rasheedi

If you’re someone who can’t resist tearing into a flaky parotta or diving into a butter-laced Amritsari kulcha, here’s something to be proud of — India’s street food royalty has gone global! In the latest TasteAtlas 2025 rankings of the Top 100 Street Foods in the World, Parotta and Amritsari Kulcha have made it to the Top 10!

The rankings, released by the popular food and travel guide, reflect the international appeal of local flavours and culinary traditions.

At rank 5, the South Indian Parotta — known for its flaky layers, soft texture, and rich taste — received international acclaim. Typically made using refined flour (maida) and ghee or oil, it is often served with spicy curries, particularly chicken or vegetable gravies, and is a street food staple across Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Coming in at rank 7 is the Amritsari Kulcha, a stuffed flatbread from Punjab, known for its crispy exterior, soft filling of potatoes, onions, cottage cheese, and spices, and generous smearing of ghee. This kulcha is a must-have when visiting Amritsar, often paired with tangy chickpeas (chole) or butter-laden accompaniments.

India’s street food diversity gets global spotlight

In total, seven Indian dishes found their place in the top 100, demonstrating the regional variety and enduring popularity of Indian street cuisine:

Chole Bhature (Rank 40): Spicy chickpeas served with fluffy fried bread

Paratha (Rank 59): A whole wheat flatbread with various savory fillings

Tikka (Rank 60): Marinated grilled meats, especially chicken

Dosa (Rank 64): Fermented rice crepe served with chutney and sambar

Chaat (Rank 71): A broad term for tangy-spicy snacks like dahi bhalla, sev puri, and more

Global winner: Algerian Garantita

While India bagged two top 10 spots, the No.1 street food in the world was awarded to Garantita, a creamy, chickpea-based baked dish from Algeria. Served hot in sandwiches or on its own with harissa, this humble tart secured global appreciation for its rich flavour and simplicity.

This isn’t just about food. It’s about identity, culture and then come to taste. The TasteAtlas rankings are based on editorial research, expert opinions, and audience feedback, highlighting culinary authenticity and cultural significance.

What makes Indian street food stand out?

Indian street food is more than just a quick bite — it’s an experience. It represents centuries of culture, hyperlocal ingredients, and culinary innovation passed through generations. From small-town nukkads to bustling metros, vendors cook with soul — and now, the world is finally taking note.

A woman from Ahmedabad in Gujarat placed an order for a paneer tikka sandwich from a restaurant through a food delivery app. But after receiving her order, she was shocked to discover that the restaurant had delivered a non-veg sandwich instead of the vegetarian one she had ordered.

Nirali, who is a vegetarian by choice, had ordered her dinner from Pick Up Meals by Terra on 3^rd of May. On receiving her sandwich she had a few bites when she noticed that the paneer was unusually hard. She initially assumed it to be soya, but later it turned out to be chicken. She was shocked to discover that she had received a non vegetarian sandwich instead of the paneer sandwich which she had ordered.

Talking to the media she said she had never consumed non-vegetarian food in her life and it was a shocking and dreadful experience for her. The lady has filed a complaint against the restaurant with the Deputy Health Officer of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. She also demanded a Rs 50 lakh compensation for the same.

After her complaint, the food department has slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on the restaurant. But she felt that this fine is not enough. She said the incident is very dreadful, and it cannot be reversed. She further added Rs 5,000 fine is not enough, and she will go to the consumer court.

She said she could’ve asked for more, but even that would not have served justice to what she felt. Nirali told the restaurant owners that she is doing this for the youth who experience similar incidents but are not aware of their rights.  Although the woman is facing backlash for her behavior but she has found support from people who commend her for standing up against what she perceives as a serious oversight in food handling and consumer rights.

The internet is full of unusual food recipes and dishes as different users try different cooking methods and ideas to innovate new dishes. One such unique food recipe which has caught the fancy of food lovers on social media is Butterfly Pea Ghee Rice. A food vlogger shared a video clip on Instagram showing the meticulous preparation of blue-coloured ghee rice which has a classic twist from the traditional recipe. It is a new culinary trend that has drawn mixed reactions from social media users.

The video clip was shared last week, by Pratima Pradhan, who goes by the Instagram username, thecookingamma. In the beginning of the video the food vlogger washes butterfly pea flowers and separates the petals. She then soaks one cup of rice for a few minutes before boiling some water in an earthen pot and then adds the petals to it. She separates the petals from the earthern pot.

Next she adds the soaked rice in the blue coloured boiling water and lets the rice cook in the earthen pot. She next adds ghee to the mixture. Next she takes another earthern pot and adds a table spoon of ghee to it. Next she adds Baeleaf, peppercorns, cashews and raisins so that they get fried to a golden brown colour. Next she adds chopped onions and slit green chillies for flavor. Next she adds the cooked rice to the mixture and the lets the rice be completely cooked on a slow flame.

She adds the cooked rice to steel bowl and when serves it on a golden plate covered with a banana leaf.  The video has gone viral and has got 300,120 likes till now which are only increasing. Large number social media users commented on the social media post as many of them were surprised to see this unusual rice recipe which had blue flowers in it.