Bhelpuri is a savoury snack originating from India, and is also a type of chaat. It is made of puffed rice, vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce, and has a crunchy texture.
Bhel is often identified as a 'beach snack', strongly associated with the beaches of Mumbai, such as Chowpatty or Juhu. One theory for its origin is that it was invented at a restaurant called Vithal near Victoria Terminus. According to another theory, bhelpuri was conceived by the city's Gujarati community, who made it by adding complex flavours to the simple North Indian chaat. Gujarati housewives began making it, and invented several varieties like the pakodi puri, and as it spread in popularity so many different communities made their own regional variations.
The original Mumbai recipe has spread to most parts of India, where it has been modified to suit local food availability. Dry bhel is made from bhadang, a spicy namkeen from Western Maharashtra, and is consumed after garnishing with onions, coriander and lemon juice. The Bengali variant of bhelpuri is called jhalmuri (meaning "spicy puffed rice"). A local Karnataka variant of bhelpuri is known as churumuri or churmuri.