Buzzfeed media group’s food network Tasty regularly makes social media users drool or rush to fix themselves a snack with its short recipe videos, which explain how to make gourmet dishes in a few delectable shots. But on Saturday, a video the network put out last year became the talk of Indian Twitter for a reason the makers had likely not intended.
The one-minute video on how to make gulab jamuns became the subject of a social-media food war thanks to its unfortunate title – Tasty described the sweet as an “Indian fried doughnut”.
Indian Fried Doughnuts (Gulab Jamun) pic.twitter.com/xCeiol8t07
— Tasty (@tasty) June 29, 2017
Indian Twitter users, annoyed by their local dishes acquiring comical or tautological names in the West (like chai tea, naan bread and pakora fritters) decided to give the network a taste of its own medicine by distorting the names of popular dishes from around the world, particularly North America and Europe. So, pizzas became cheese chapatis, tacos became stuffed papad (or American papdi chaat) and the doughnut at the heart of the food war became a chocolate-coated medu wada.
Cheese Chapati pic.twitter.com/tlEdUaYpMF
— #ChappalChorPakistan (@SupariTroller) May 26, 2018
Lengthy Wada Paav (Hotdog) pic.twitter.com/KWmU3yABUw
— #ChappalChorPakistan (@SupariTroller) May 27, 2018
Ameerkan Papdi Chaat (Tacos) pic.twitter.com/IIoQ1d0Sr0
— Astronaut 🐒 (@TheRobustRascal) May 26, 2018
Stuffed Folded Papad (Tacos) pic.twitter.com/gSizLEJdcA
— #ChappalChorPakistan (@SupariTroller) May 27, 2018
Angrezi Samosay (Cornish Pasty) pic.twitter.com/tf5SPwTCzN
— nadim (@nadimpatel_) May 26, 2018
Amreekan Vada Pav (Burger) pic.twitter.com/migJE3uU7R
— go away (@ahauntedvagina) May 26, 2018
Chocolate coated Medu-Wada (Donut) pic.twitter.com/R2RiDoUa6i
— #ChappalChorPakistan (@SupariTroller) May 27, 2018
Carbonated Kala Khatta (Pepsi) pic.twitter.com/3BSFgKRtAF
— #ChappalChorPakistan (@SupariTroller) May 27, 2018
Jalebi Caviar. (Sweet Boondi) pic.twitter.com/oDnf40JQTj
— Ajoy Advani (@ajoyadvani) May 27, 2018
French Dosai pic.twitter.com/XGdAjm77FP
— பல் கோட் பலவின் சாரல் நாடன் (@PostModernAsura) May 27, 2018
Angrezi aanday wala pappu burger (Panini) 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/hXNfPAWTMj
— eek (@haloperidolol) May 26, 2018
Another Twitter user took inspiration from the “my culture is not your prom dress” meme to drive home a culinary point about appropriation. Others pointed out shortcomings in the recipe and pointed out the many reasons why a gulab jamun cannot be called a fried doughnut.
our dessert is not your goddamn fried doughnut
— don't care virgin (@tw0inpeaks) May 27, 2018
They're not fried donuts, you're doing this wrong, and no pistachios lol
— Mina (@TheMinaRS) May 25, 2018
“fried doughnuts” tf is this bullshit it tastes nothing like a doughnut just call it what it is how hard is that
— sandy,,., (@stylestaxi) May 26, 2018
It is not a fried donut. Don't misappropriate. It is a gulab jamun and it needs to be drenched in sugar syrup and not dry like you did.
— K K (@kotpal) June 29, 2017
The name wars transcended the realm of food and entered into sports, cinema and politics as well.
Indian Angelina Jolie pic.twitter.com/ipA852cfJi
— Mahesh Fans Ceeded [MFC] (@MassKaaBaap) May 27, 2018
Indian Trump pic.twitter.com/qrrehkZ9Sm
— Joash (@joashraul) May 27, 2018
American Gulli Danda. pic.twitter.com/lv4e4WP7rJ
— Shree (@thefraudbrahmin) May 27, 2018
One Twitter user neatly summed things up, drawing inspiration from the other recent meme-obsession of Indian twitter users – a dialogue from the trailer of the Salman Khan’s upcoming Race 3.
We kill English , they kill nouns of Indian dishes.
— Ashwin Doke (@ashwindoke) May 27, 2018
Fair play I say pic.twitter.com/ZmYNWKvNit