Anubhav Sapra’s Delhi Food Walks Bring Communities Together Through Food

Having spent four years of my college life in New Delhi, I can almost instinctively attest that the bylanes of Delhi hold within them the secret of the universe. Maybe it was in the lanes of Chandni Chowk where you see tourists and locals banter over a cup of chai and shahi tukda or maybe it is in the momo stalls in the nooks of Delhi where you oft find groups of friends. To imagine Delhi without its street food is to imagine Delhi without its identity, the plates of food binding people into an unsaid bond of culture, history, and community. Whether it is the plate of biryani near Hazrat Nizamuddin or at Karim’s that are intrinsically tied to the history of Delhi or the Tibetian food at Majnu Ka Tilla that offers a sense of community and culture. If there are answers to be found and a way to reach the heart and soul of Delhi, it has got to be in a plate of food.

Delhi-based food blogger Anubhav Sapra realised young that sharing food can bring communities together. Having grown up in Muzaffarpur, Bihar where he was surrounded by people of different castes, religions, and cultures, he saw his mother send a tiffin of their cuisine to houses in the locality in return of tiffin boxes of different houses and their cuisines. This started his love affair with not just the food but also the story behind the food and its ability to bring diverse sets of people together. In an interview with The Tribal Box, he said, “I have always been passionate about food not just because of how it tastes or because it satisfies our hunger but because everything we eat has a story attached to it. I am always keen on exploring the historical background of how a cuisine or a widely famous dish emerged.”

This led him to explore the various kinds of street food present in New Delhi and he started blogging about, later extending it to a food tour across the city for others who wish to see the city and interact with its history through the food. He has now expanded this exploration of cuisines, culture, history and community through street food across India and documents his food adventures along with his team on their YouTube Channel. His food adventures and stories are a testament to the power food holds in transgressing the borders of religion, caste, and culture and connecting a community of people with diverse histories and experiences.

You can checkout the YouTube Channel for a virtual food tour here.

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