From Bean to Bombay Mix

A snack known to the western world as Bombay Mix is now ubiquitous in India and the world. Their addictive taste and simplicity of ingredients appeal across class and caste. Curiously, Bombay Mix is originally a regional delicacy from the deserts of Rajasthan and thrives in India’s regional kitchens with vernacular renditions, spices and names. Noodly bhujia and beady boondis are made of Bengal gram, a variant of C.arietinum L. and moth bean, V.aconitifolia, unique to the subcontinent are mixed in various proportions and spices to make namkeen, literally savoury. Today, these snacks are mostly made from imported tepary beans, potato flour, cornflour, fried in palm oil and a repository of ingredients facilitated by large scale production and fuelled by popularity. These protein rich snacks have become commoditized, reduced to a singular denomination as Bombay Mix. This paper presents how a hyper local snack found its way across regional and international borders and moved beyond its original food systems and turned into a global Big Food industry.