It is said it's the street food that identifies the culinary delights of a place, be it a metropolitan city, small town or village. Think of pavbhaji or bhel-puri and one is immediately transported to the beaches of Mumbai; mention tandoori chicken or cholekulche and Amritsar pops in the mind; kababs and biryani would take one to Lucknow; and sundal (the spicy, tangy chick-pea mix) and steaming hot vadas remind one of Chennai sea-front ~ the list is endless and so is the variety of food.

This is true not just of places in India but across the world. Street food is at times more famous than the standard dishes one gets in hotels and restaurants.

Be it Bangkok, Manila, New York, London, Bonn or Moscow. Name any city and the street food is a vibrant world apart, where the most authentic cuisine of the land can be savoured at a very affordable price. The food is available in an endless variety.

There is much diversity in the raw materials as well as in the preparation of beverages, snacks and meals. The marketing success of vendors depends exclusively on location and word-of-mouth promotion. Street food businesses are usually owned and operated by individuals or families but benefits from their trade extend throughout the local economy.

While the food may be all about snacking for the middle-class, for the poor it is sustenance. People may turn up their noses against street food, given their misgivings about cleanliness and hygiene as well as the need to eat out in the open.

Yet it remains highly popular with local people as well as tourists. To overcome the safety issues, the municipal authorities in several countries have regulated the vendors.

Especially in tourist destinations and in countries where tourism is a major revenue earner, the authorities ensure standards of hygiene and health are met. Regular inspections are conducted to ensure these standards are maintained. This is where Indian street food sector is lagging.

Though rigorous laws and regulations are in place, it's the implementation that's the problem. In India, street food is considered illegal. Greasing the palms of officials and police is all too common.

A familiar sight is the raids by the Municipal Committees, when the vendors pick up their wares and try and escape the "kameti" vans. The hapless ones, who get trapped, lose everything, including their day's earnings.

Capital food

As Delhi boasts of food from every corner of the country, it is considered by many as a city of flavours and captivating food. Despite housing expensive restaurants and cafes, street food remains Delhi's high point. One can go to Qutub Minar, India Gate, Connaught Place or Old Delhi, street food is available every few steps.

Dating back to the days of Indraprastha and later divided into Old and New Delhi, a melange of cultures have left their culinary mark on the city. Take, for instance, the ubiquitous "gol gappa".

The savoury water, tangy chutneys and assortment of additions ~ from tiny pieces of boiled potatoes, peas to pomegranate seeds ~ each vendor has his secret ingredient. In some parts of Old Delhi, where the nawabi influence of Lucknow lingers, one will get "batashas", the same gol gappa yet subtly different. In parts of New Delhi one can even get the Mumbai version of "pani puri".

Food available on the streets of Delhi includes traditional cuisine like rajma rice, chhole rice, chhole kulche, chat papadi and raj kachori. Adding to the list are toothsome tandoori momos and delectable biryani. Nothing can explain Delhi's bond with its street food. It's not easy to hold back when the taste buds are tempted by the steaming hot, spicy, tangy fare laid out at vantage points.

The burnt oil or adulterated spices that go into their making are hardly a put off. Smriti, a student studying in Amity University, says, "Street food is indeed time saving and easily available. There are many street food stalls and food trucks available around our university.

One can see how they cook and prepare food. Nothing is hidden.

" In contrast, Aditi Yadav, another college student, shared her experience saying, "I stopped eating street food because many a time I find the vendors keep a bucket of water as the only source for preparing food. And they also wash their hands with that water many times during the day. It is very unhygienic."

Confronting challenges

Street vendors often become victims of seasonal diseases and infections, like conjunctivitis and viral fever, and are blamed for unhygienic cooking. But the problems faced by the vendors do not end here. They are often chased away, live in uncertainty and work in poor conditions with little access to infrastructure.

They face problems of eviction, bribe payment, inability to access various government schemes, lack of facilities such as toilet, lighting and social security to name a few. In a city like Delhi, where 2.5 per cent of the population consists of street vendors, they find it difficult to survive.

After severe food poisoning cases due to consumption of street food and adulteration allegations on street vendors, Delhi's municipal authorities have banned street vendors from cook in the open, causing an outcry in a city famous for its affordable roadside cuisine.

In a move criticised by locals and culinary enthusiasts, thousands of vendors have been moved out in the interest of "order and hygiene".

Dinesh, hailing from Bihar, came to Delhi to aid his family financially.

"I came to Delhi 10 years back and I started selling cholley kulche on the roadside near Sarojini Nagar. But one day a sahibcame and asked me to vacate the place,” said Dinesh who now sells chholey kulche on his bicycle after the authorities took away his cart.

Legal hope

With the new Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 in place, which is being seen as a landmark legislation, there is a ray of hope for improvement in the status of street vendors.

The Act vouches for compulsory registration, issuing license to vendors, formation of town vending committees and, most importantly, planned vending zones in cities. A senior NDMC official said only unauthorised vendors without license and false documents have been evicted.

The NDMC may evict those street vendors, who block movement in public passage or pavements, subject to conditions, informed the official.

The vendors were given an opportunity to get trained by the Delhi Food Safety Department on maintaining hygiene and cleanliness. During the training, they were given necessary hygiene kits to be used while preparing and serving food. Some have adopted the practices, benefiting their business.

Ram Kumar, who runs a fruit salad stall in Connaught Place, said, "I have been using the apron, cap and gloves as it is a necessity. Moreover, it attracts more customers because it looks very hygienic.” Gopal Yadav, who sells sweets in the same area said, "I started covering the sweets with muslin cloth and foil.

I think it drives more people to buy sweets from my stall. I also started to wear cap and gloves." Despite passage of the path-breaking Street Vendors (Livelihood Protection and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, which ordered local municipal authorities to set up designated vending zones for hawkers to enable them to practise their trade peacefully; few municipalities have honoured the law.

The streets of Delhi are not only home for thousands of poor and destitute people but also for many vendors, who migrate from their native place to the Capital in search of livelihood.

Vending street food is for most an honest means of earning a living. There is no protection from the rigors of climate, no health services or any social security for them. Their working hours stretch from 10- 12 hours. The greatest stress and insecurity faced by the street vendors is from their fight daily against the municipal authorities. They are slapped huge fines and face eviction.

Jignesh, an 18-year-old vendor, who sells chaat and bhel puri at a Metro station said, "I feel like giving up and going back to farming.

It is a daily fight for survival." Street food might just be another extension of food for some but for the food vendors, it is a means of survival.

Street food awards

Street food has been enjoyed by the people since decades but they have been barely given a token of appreciation. After a long wait of appraisal, it is time to acknowledge the taste of street food of Delhi.

The Street Food Awards 2017, organised under the tagline "Galliyon ka Khazana" (treasure of the streets), is a one of its kind initiative organised by Delhi Food Walks. It is for the first time, wherein the city's favourite street food vendors are entitled to receive an award, based on the decision of an esteemed jury, comprising three renowned food professionals.

A series of special awards along with a "People’s Choice Award" will also be given to acknowledge the street food vendors.

The awards have given a platform to the people of Delhi to vote for their favourite street food under different nominations on their website.

The awards would be entitled to the street vendors, who receive the highest number of votes under different nominations