Banta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the drink. For the film of the same name, see
Goli Soda.
A lemonade seller with Banta soda bottles, Rishikesh
Banta or
Banta Soda also known as
Fotash Jawl in
Bengali,
Goli Soda (
Goli = spherical object in
Hindi) or
Goti Soda (
Goti = marble in Hindi) is a colloquial term for a
carbonated lemon or orange-flavoured
soft drink in
Codd-neck bottle popular in
India. Though the origin of its name is from Punjabi word for marble (banta), Banta has been sold since the late 19th century,
[1][2] long before popular carbonated drinks arrived. The drink is often sold mixed with lemon juice, crushed ice,
chaat masala and
kala namak (black salt) as a carbonated variant of popular lemonades
shikanjvi or
jal-jeera.
[1] It is available at street-sellers known as
bantawallahs at prices ranging from
₹5 (7.8¢ US) -
₹30 (47¢ US).
[3][4]
Similar to
Ramune, a Japanese lemon drink,
[4] Banta is popular across
North India and especially the capital
Delhi. In fact, it is known as "Delhi’s local drink", nimbu (lemon) soda or
kanchay waali drink (
kancha = marble in Hindi), especially in
Old Delhi and the
Delhi University college campuses.
[3][5] In
South India it is known as
Goli Soda, due to the
goli (marble) in neck of the bottle.
[3] The states of
Tamil Nadu and
Andhra Pradesh have a local variant known as
panneer soda that is flavoured with rose essence.
[4]
Overview
Banta is available in a
Codd-neck bottle,
a heavy glass bottle whose mouth is sealed by a round marble (instead
of a cap) thanks to the pressure of the carbonated contents. The
distinctive bottle has led to the drink also being called
goli soda in South India.
[2]
The banta bottles are largely bottled by unorganized manufacturers, who sell bottles for as little as
₹2. Delhi itself has over 100 single-room bottling units.
[1] During the bottling process, a chemical flavouring agent known as Lemon No. 1 by
International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) is added. The agent is also used in ice cream and by the pharmaceutical industry.
[4]
Prior to India's independence the Codd-neck bottles were imported
from England, however post-independence local manufacturers came up
including many factories in
Ahmedabad. Today a major Codd-neck bottle manufacturer in India is Khandelwal Glass Works (since 1981) at
Sasni,
Uttar Pradesh, after Mahalakshmi Glass Works in Hyderabad closed down a few years ago. Before the re-entry of popular soft drinks like
Pepsi and
Coca-Cola
in 1993, the sale of Banta reached its peak in the early 1990s, selling
100,000 bags per annum, with each a bag containing 75 bottles each. By
2010 however the sales had dropped by nearly half, especially after
reports of consumers experiencing nausea after consumption due to
unsanitary conditions during production of the beverage.
[4][6]
See also
References
Shreya Roy Chowdhury (1 Jul 2013). "Banta: Why the street drink is still popular in Delhi". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
"Sipped for centuries". The Hindu. June 10, 2011. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
"Banter about Banta". The Hindu. April 19, 2013. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
Anuja & Krish Raghav (Jul 2, 2010). "Pop culture". Mint (newspaper). Retrieved 2014-08-17.
Sinha, Namya (May 19, 2009). "My desi drink in Delhi". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-17.
