That has been the temple town's calling card and commerce. But foodies will vouch for its gastronomic delights, waiting to be discovered in its crowded streets and bylanes.Many famous hawkers appear with their pushcarts in the evening. Some don't even have a signboard. But their offerings are addictive and available at a price that would buy you only a snigger in a city like Delhi.In their own way , the streetside hawkers of Varanasi are everyday artistes in the business of producing and peddling pleasure. You might get that kind of feeling wolfing down Lalman's golgappas, sold from a handcart in a bylane near Lahurabir Chowk. What makes them irresistible isn't just the tangy tamarind water but the filling, a slushy mix of chickpea, boiled potato and spices. He also serves a sweet version of the snack that feels almost like a dessert.Like most golgappa sellers in the city , the stuff Lalman serves is customised to the amount of spicy heat your tastebuds can handle. Varanasi is a city of paan eaters. A long-lasting love affair with the paan makes a tongue hypersensitive to spice. This is primarily due to the use of chuna (lime), an essential ingredient for paan; hence the adjustment.There are several other artistes of the palate across the city, which is also PM Narendra Modi 's Lok Sabha constituency . One of the go-to places for breakfast is the late Chhanni Devi's, who sold puri-sabzi and jalebis from a rundown shop in Lanka area, near BHU. Popularly known as "Chachi", she would shower abuse on customers asking her to hurry up; the customers, in turn, were addicted to her rantings.Among the celebrities who graced the shop was superstar Rajesh Khanna. The sabzi served with the puri is made of pumpkin, potatoes and black gram.There is a rhythm with which her son Kailash Yadav flattens and shapes the dough before it is deep-fried, twice. The shop opens at 3.30am. "We start serving jalebis by 5am and puri-sabzi by 6. By 11.30am, we are through," he says. A plate of four puris and sabzi costs Rs 24.Adjacent to it are three shops selling lassi, all run by sons of Panna Sardar who ran the legendary original Pehalwan lassi. This is the third generation in the business. Lassis, with a dash of malai and saffron on top, are sold in clay cups.Some are so thick you almost need to chew on them.It's all part of the city's living heritage, created and consumed every day.Places like these have created a popular expression called `Lanketing', going specifically to Lanka for snacks.Then there's Pappu's, the legendary tea stall in Assi mohalla that serves milk and lemon tea. The political gyan is free. The lemon tea here is flavoured with Hajmola, giving it a distinct whiff of heeng (asafoetida).Near Lahurabir Chowk stands Jwala Prasad 's pushcart selling rasedar pakoras made of gram flour (besan), spinach and spices. The three are kneaded into a ball, deep-fried and dipped in a fiery curry . It's served with a sprinkling of sohal, a salty savoury .The pakoras have two variations: sada and rangeen. The rangeen version is stuffed with bhang.At Chetganj, Umashankar Sahu's family has been selling kachoris for three generations. As a peddler, he has the smallest of stands where he keeps the kachoris, a little larger than a Rs 10 coin, garnished with shredded radish and carrot, and served with tamarind chutney .Varanasi is also famous for its sweets to which the city's Bengalis have also made a singular contribution. There are shops with signs of desi and Bengali mithai. Some shops around Pucca Mohal area along the ghats, sell their mithai only between 7pm and 2am. On offer are suggestively named sweets such as Palangtod (bed-breaker) and Malaipuri.The iconic Kashi and Deena Chat Bhandars at Godowlia Chowk are more established joints. Crowds throng Deena for a taste of their tamatar chaat, a rather unique snack which uses tomatoes ingeniously . In the winter, chura matar, dripping with desi ghee, is the rage.Food is an inseparable part of Varanasi. So why isn't it part of the central narrative of the holy city? Is it because it is primarily a business of Yadavs and Banias, who don't figure high in the city's intellectual story? There is no simple answer.

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