How Maggi noodles became an iconic Indian snack

After Maggi noodles were found to be high in lead, India ordered testing. They were temporarily banned from being sold in Delhi, and some grocery stores have removed them from their shelves. Nestle India claims its products are safe. Sourish Bhattacharyya, a food writer, explains India’s long-standing relationship with its favorite noodles.

In 1983, when Maggi instant noodles were introduced in India – the year India won the Cricket World Cup for the first time – they captured the nation’s attention.

People who had created slow food hundreds of years before fast food became popular realized that any dish could be prepared in just two minutes.

Maggi’s “two-minute noodles” advertisement campaign on state-run television that Maggi launched was a huge success due to its liberating message for females.

The “Maggi Mama” was loved and cared for by her children just as much as her mother. She was also able, thanks to the snack, to manage her work and domestic responsibilities.

It was a Nestle product, so it had to be trusted despite the fact that India hadn’t seen it before. Maggi’s promotional campaign was also the first to recognize the changing status of middle-class women living in metro India.

Nestle has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with India since 1912 when it was established in India as The Nestle Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company (Export).

The company quickly became synonymous with Milkmaid, sweetened condensed milk. The original 400g can is still in use today, but the packaging has changed.

After India’s Independence in 1947, Nestle bought Maggi. The company quickly recognized the importance of local production and established its Indian subsidiary in 1961. It opened its first factory in Moga, Punjab, in the state of Punjab.

Because of the socialist ideology of Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first PM, Nestle wanted to create the Punjab milk economy, the government also influenced the choice of the location.

This formidable legacy enabled Maggi to travel across India and become a household name. It was able to control 90% of the quick noodles market within its first 25-years.

It was not surprising that the brand’s Me & Meri Maggi campaign (Me and My Maggi Campaign) was launched in 2008 in its silver anniversary year. Inviting people to submit their Maggi stories, Publicis Capital, the advertising agency, received more than 35,000 entries.

It was a testament to the profound inroads Maggi made in the daily lives of its loyal customers.

India is today the largest market for Maggi noodles worldwide, despite Top Ramen’s serious challenge in the 1990s.

Maggi, together with the variety of complementary products, such as soup mixes, sauces, and cup noodles, contributes more than 20% to Nestle India’s annual revenue of around 15 billion rupees ($235m, PS149m). A leading survey confirmed what everyone knew: Maggi is the most trusted food brand in India.

In 2006, BusinessWeek magazine provided a detailed insight: “Maggi managed to enter Indian homes and change the traditional food habits Indian children on its promise to convenience.” This brand understood Indian mothers’ psychology and was able to position itself as a mother-child indulgent.

Maggi is priced at 12 rupees (18cents; 12 pence) per serving and was loved by three generations of Indians.

It has spawned a lot of Maggi “entrepreneurs”, who sell instant noodles to college students and office-goers with just a pressure cooker, cheap aluminum tools, and stainless steel cutlery and crockery.

Jaipur’s Tapri restaurant is a popular hangout. It started as Maggi’s joint and was founded by two MBA students. They now serve Maggi in many innovative ways. There is so much that goes into a hot bowl of Maggi.

Farzi Cafe, a restaurant run by Zorawar Kalra, was India’s first “food court”, and is still a hugely successful venture. It used to serve Maggi with foie gras.

India has banned imports of foie gras after protests from animal rights activists. The method used to make the French delicacy was force-feeding ducks or geese.

“I must confess that I fell in love with this dish – even before the government banned foie gras. “It’s ironic, that the other half this delicious dish, Maggi is also headed towards a nationwide ban,” Zorawarkalra states.

A popular anchor for the business news channel, posted photos on Facebook of her and her colleagues eating their “last bowl” of Maggi just moments before the ban on the noodles went into effect in Delhi.

Her post reflected a feeling of longing and loss, which was typical of many Indians who grew up with Maggi.

Many Indians consider Maggi junk food for years. Schools in Delhi don’t stock Maggi in their canteens. Maggi products have been urged against by politely written notes to parents who send Maggi products to their children’s lunchboxes.

However, the sales numbers show that millions of Indians purchase and consume Maggi every day. A quick Google search shows many different ways people can cook and consume Maggi.

Well-known food writer Tarla Dalal offers recipes to make samosa patties stuffed with cooked Maggi, cheese, and vegetables; deep-fried Maggi-cheese-vegetable fritters; and adding cooked noodles with cheese and herbs to make open toast sandwiches.

You can also make Maggi-omelettes or vegetable soups with Maggi.

The snack was a hit in India due to its ease of cooking – Maggi’s advertisement for “two minutes” suggested that you open the packet and add the noodles, season it with boiling water, and cook it for two minutes.

This is how Indians like to eat the noodles that are called “India’s favorite noodles”.

For more Queries related to Chai and Indian Fast-food visit our official website Sutta Chai Bar.