It stopped me in my tracks during a scroll down my Instagram feed; a curiosity called Fanta Maggi. Two junk foods from different families, caught in a forbidden romance.
This dish is part of a freaky food trend overwhelming the internet—Oreo pakoda, chocolate samosa, gulab jamun pizza, and Maggi milkshake.
These eccentric fusions are being plated in restaurants, on streets, and at homes across India. These viral videos, often shared by food vloggers, are assured of mass internet engagement by inducing disgust or awe. The discussions they invoke tend to turn as divisive as when sensitive subjects of ketchup on Maggi or pineapple on pizza are broached. You can either be all for it or dead set against it; a middle ground doesn't exist. And what better way than that to keep a debate going?
A video that went viral last year showed a street-side shop in Surat, Gujarat, creating soft drink omelettes. For Rs 250, those brave-hearted enough to take their eggs with a soft drink gravy of choice can give this preparation a try. The backstory of this dish is as random as its condiments.
"About four years ago, a customer came to our shop and asked if we could serve him gravy eggs cooked in a soft drink," said Ravi Modi, the viral Singotar Omelette Centre owner, to DH. "It was there that we got the idea. We prepared the gravy with Thums Up the first time, but it didn't taste good, so we switched to Fanta. After a few hits and misses, we landed on the recipe we now use."
Although Fanta Fry, as the egg dish is called, is popular, it's not the star. "We have over 80 items on our menu, out of which Angoor Rabdi sells the most," he says. Fanta Fry finds more takers among camera-wielding food bloggers. As for local customers, Modi wants to give them the "authentic anda taste" and recommends dishes other than the ones floating in an orange drink.
Going experimental with food isn't the itch. The dilemma is, where do we make and break the boundaries? Are these foods sustainable?
Sarah Hussain, a Delhi-based food blogger, known to fans by her Instagram handle Zingy Zest, that enjoys an over five lakh-strong following, doesn't think so.
"Street food vendors are not coming up with these dishes; the bloggers go to them and ask them to make all this by paying them extra," she tells us. "If you notice, on all these dosa-ice cream type videos, the place is never mentioned because there is no place that serves such things. The food is wasted for two days of fame."
"I don't think it's sustainable; it might work with one or two creators getting followers and reach… I don't know who finds it enjoyable; even the comments online are mostly in disgust," she adds.
Through reels, Ashish Malik, Instagram content creator from Chandigarh, has also offered the same narrative of food vloggers approaching vendors with baffling fusion ideas in exchange for a promise of virality.
Indian culinary authorities like Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarla Dalal have, on their part, contributed to the legitimisation of these trends by sharing recipes for Maggi paratha and chocolate dosa on their respective channels.
But the question is, are these trends even seeking legitimacy at all?
Last year, a viral photo of the round idli refurbished as idli-on-a-stick sparked outrage on Twitter. But as profane as the concept may seem to purists, there is something to be said for the eating convenience it offers.
Perhaps being a freak isn't all that bad.
Watch the making of Fanta Egg Fry: