The new ‘benne‘ biscuit on the block may be rich in proteins, rich in omega 3 fatty acids, rich in fibre, and may claim to stave off the dreaded insurgent inside our borders—cholesterol—but just the memories evoked by the name should have Kannadigas rolling their tongues in their cheeks.
Tags: Benne Vita, Churumuri, ITC, Iyengar's Bakery, Sans Serif, Sunfeast
27 August 2008 at 12:04 pm
I don’t get it. They sell it as healthy and it’s full of dalda. As if the flaxseed will help with all of that transfat in it.
And then they call it benne which means nothing to a local except butter or sesame (apparently) while they wanted it to have some exotic italian appeal and have a range of pasta named benne vita too.
Silly.
27 August 2008 at 1:14 pm
good they acknowledged *beNNe* in the name.. not butter!
but sad that their IC (inferiority complex) struck on their way, and lo! you have Flexseed standing tall right next to beNNe!!
Goes to show ITC wants to say, ‘even though we’ve gone “all the way down” into exploring the deep interior bakeries in KAR, and discovered this beNNe-biskath, we havent forgotten our original (good or bad) basics that lie in those flexseeds! Ow! Come on, how can beNNe become our basics.. we’re still with you Flexseeds! Dont estrange us!!’
But lets remember, this is going to sell in KAR bcos of the beNNe etched on it.. in it, or not :)
27 August 2008 at 2:47 pm
Take my word for it. There ain’t no “Benne” in “Benne Vita”.
“Benne Vita” is Italian for “Good Life”.
http://www.itcportal.com/itc-annual-reports-2008/page-38.htm
27 August 2008 at 3:45 pm
Italian Penne or Hassan Iyengar Benne…I understand the gimmick in sound appeal, but the vernacular attempt is definitely impressive.
I’m thinking how the world (and some kannadigas even) will roll their tongues to pronounce it :)
27 August 2008 at 4:30 pm
benne biscuits from butter sponge (RIP, thanks to the national college flyover) and vijaya bakery – they can get you past anything
*sigh*
27 August 2008 at 5:06 pm
I can already see the hordes of uneducated non-K’digas falling over themselves to eat this seemingly Italian speciality considering that they will never be able to associated beNNe with Kannada and imagine benne and penne are the same…
28 August 2008 at 12:25 am
‘lok you stole words from my mouth.
28 August 2008 at 12:42 am
I used to love the benne biscuits made at the iyengar’s bakery down the road from my old house. Glad its more accessible now (albeit with “flaxseed” in it)!
28 August 2008 at 6:55 pm
BeNNe biskat recipe for this Ugadi?
31 August 2008 at 10:52 pm
“Benne” is not to be taken literally. Here it means the biscuits melt like benne in the mouth. Not the same as “benne dose.”
In any case, what troubles is the fact that food stechnology is turning us into gluttons. Time was when sweet shops were few and far between as on Mill Corner and Majestic. Now there is a glut of them on every street. Sad case for a country where half the population is prone to silent killers like diabetes.
I long for the days when maida, vanaspathi, and sugar used to be rationed.