A viral video has sparked a comparison between an Italian delicacy and vada pav
Food 'doppelgangers' can be quite fascinating to discover. We often find multiple 'look-alikes' of the same delicacy in different cuisines. They may resemble each other in more ways than one. Compare the Indian karanji with the Spanish empanada, for example. Recently, one such food look-alike has caught Instagram users' interest. The viral video shows the making of two Italian delicacies, consisting of seasoned fritters sandwiched between bread. In the comments, several people have pointed out their similarity to the beloved Indian street food: vada pav. Find out more below.
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The reel was shared by digital creator Julius Fiedler on his page @hermann. In it, he gives a glimpse of the making of panelle at an Italian restaurant. He calls it a "Sicilian sandwich." We see a cook mixing chickpea flour, salt, parsley and water. Later, this mixture is flattened and fried to make crisp fritters. They are then seasoned with salt and lemon juice, and served between a slit bread bun, as Julius explains in the voiceover. He also shows the cook making another delicacy called cazzilli. This is like a fried croquette made by combining potatoes, salt, pepper and mint leaves. Julius states that cazzilli is also traditionally eaten with panelle and bread. Watch the full video below:
The reel has received 763K views so far. It seems that many people were reminded of vada pav while watching the video. After all, the key ingredients of the fritters - chickpea flour (besan) and potatoes - are also used to make vadas. But it is the fact of being sandwiched between a bun-like bread that reinforces the similarity.
One Instagram user wrote, "So it is an Italian vadapav." Another asked, "Is this like the Italian love child of vada pav and bhajiya pav?" A third explained, "In India also...we have our version of something very similar. It's called - Vada pav. The only difference is, the Indian version is way more spicy." Another person stated, "In India, they make potato croquettes and dip (coat) them into chickpea batter and then fry." "Vada pav's Italian cousin," commented one user.
What did you think of the viral video? Let us know in the comments.
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