For food connoisseurs, a delicacy is supposed to be intricate and peculiarly distinctive with regard to its original flavour. However, in recent years there has been a trend of mixing together seemingly bizarre food items with the chief result that their videos often go viral. While not everyone has the stomach for such weird food combos, we bring you a list of the worst food trends from 2023 as the year draws to a close. Rasgulla chai In the beginning of the year, a bizarre food combo with the beloved tea, one of the most consumed beverages in India, surfaced on social media. Actor Ashish Vidyarthi took to Instagram to share a video of a store in Kolkata selling “rasgulla chai”. The vendor was seen adding crushed ginger into the boiling tea. The tea was poured over a ball-shaped dumpling of chhena in a clay cup. The rasgulla got soaked in the hot tea and Vidyarthi was seen savouring it. Relishing the combination, he said, “Wow. This is unique” and added that it is similar to bread dipped in tea. He adds, “Chumuka Chomok, its tasty.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashish Vidyarthi (@ashishvidyarthi1) Mango pani puri In the summers, mangoes are relished the most and for street food lovers, gol gappe or pani puri are a favourite. However, can you imagine combining the two? A street vendor in Mumbai was seen selling ‘mango pani puri shots’. Instead of adding tamarind water to the puri, the vendor is seen adding a thick mango paste that looks a lot like aamras and there’s ghugni, a curry made of peas or chickpeas, instead of mashed potatoes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BombayFoodieTales | Mumbai (@bombayfoodie_tales) Chocolate pakoda In Hyderabad, a street vendor selling fritters – pakodas or bajiya as they are colloquially called – was seen selling such a weird food combination that it would make you wonder if it is even edible. The vendor took a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate and dipped it in gram flour (besan) before deep frying it in oil. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hyderabad Food Blogger /Geethasri🍟 (@hyderabadfoodblogger_) Ice cream dosa In Gujarat, a street vendor’s experiment with the beloved south Indian delicacy dosa enraged netizens. The vendor was seen spreading dosa batter on a frying pan and then adding a dollop of ice cream to it. The vendor showed how he added different flavours of ice cream to the dosa batter according to the customer’s demand. He then appeared to spread jam on the dosa before serving it with different flavours of ice cream topped with jam. The vendor also topped it up with a generous amount of chocolate syrup, turning it into a sweet appetiser. South Indian dish dosa ko Gujarat me survive karne k liye icecream se dosti karna pad ja raha hai 😭😭😹 pic.twitter.com/Pq2UBuHriE — Byomkesh (@byomkesbakshy) January 28, 2023 Pineapple momos Over the last decade, momos have turned into a staple street food found in every nook and corner of the country. While the usual momos or dumplings are prepared with chicken, mutton or vegetarian fillings, a street vendor was seen preparing the dish by adding pineapple stuffing. The clip shows the vendor cutting pineapple into small pieces and stuffing them into momos. He then deep-fries the momos and serves them on a plate. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jatin Kumar 🧿™️ (@sun_kaha_chale) Chocolate omelette Many people prefer having omelettes when hunger strikes and they are also readily available on the street. While you must be used to having omelette that contains onions, tomatoes, chillies or other vegetables or cheese, a street vendor went viral for preparing a chocolate omelette. The vendor added butter to a hot pan and broke five eggs into it. Then he added onions, tomatoes and green chillies. Then he bizarrely took two bars of Dairy Milk chocolate and grated them on top of the omelette. Once it was cooked, he poured some chocolate syrup and served it with mayonnaise. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gagandeep Singh (@mrpettoosingh) Ocean blue dosa Another strange avatar of the south Indian delicacy dosa in a vibrant blue colour was prepared at a food stall in Chhattisgarh’s Raipur. The blue ocean dosa as it is called, stood out with its vibrant blue hue and turned into a talking point among food enthusiasts. The dosa, typically known for its golden-brown colour, and often containing potato as a filling, was filled with butter, lots of cheese grated on top, mayonnaise and ketchup. The vendor then mashed all the ingredients, added chilli flakes and then grated more cheese on the dosa before cutting it into pizza-like slices. Anyone for blue dosa? Don't know which coloring is used. Any idea @Kumar90659971 ? pic.twitter.com/pjvd1te8Ow — Shashi Iyengar | Accredited Metabolic Health Coach (@shashiiyengar) December 25, 2023 Egg and fruit chai A Bangladeshi food vlogging account Sultana’s Cook was seen making a unique variation of the beloved chai by adding egg and apple to the concoction. She first caramelised the apple with tea and sugar. She then added an egg to the mix and brought it to a boil. The drink was served after being poured through a sieve. A video of this special egg and fruit tea was posted on Facebook. Surat’s ‘most famous Maggi’ Instant noodles Maggi is a comfort food for many but over the years many street vendors have done bizarre experiments with the beloved meal. While some of these experimentations have worked, others have ended up irking foodies. A street vendor from Surat was seen cooking Maggi by adding extra ingredients like cream, an overload of butter and cheese, sauces, and vegetables. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amar Sirohi (@foodie_incarnate) Usually, one can simply prepare noodles using tastemaker and water. However, in this video, the cook liberally added the above-mentioned ingredients and cooked them till the final dish loses all trace of being instant noodles. The video was taken at Raju Maggi Center, a fast-food joint located in Athwa, Surat. Many people said it resembled khichdi and didn’t look like Maggi noodles at all.
