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{{Short description|Lemon or orange flavored carbonated drinks from India}}
{{About|the drink|the film of the same name|Goli Soda}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Banta
| image = Soft drink stand, Rishikesh.jpg
| caption = A lemonade seller with Banta soda bottles, [[Rishikesh]], India.
| alternate_name =
| country = [[Indian subcontinent]]
| national_cuisine = [[Indian cuisine|India]]
| creator =
| course = Beverage
| served = Chilled
| main_ingredient =
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}

'''Banta Soda''', or '''Banta''', also '''Goli Soda''' or '''Goti Soda''' and '''Fotash Jawl''', is a popular [[carbonated]] lemon or orange-flavoured [[Soda (soft drink)|soft drink]] sold in [[India]] since late 19th century in a distinctly shaped iconic [[Codd-neck bottle]]. The [[pressure]] created by the carbonated liquid seals the bottle by forcing a glass marble up into the neck of the bottle where it snugly locks into a rubber [[gasket]]. Opening the bottle by pressing on the marble thus releasing the pressurised gas is seen to be a fun experience.<ref name=mint/><ref name=et/><ref name=hin11/> The drink is easily available at street-sellers, known as ''bantawallahs'', at prices ranging from {{INR Convert|5}} - {{INR Convert|30}}.<ref name=mint/> The drink is sold in glass tumblers and plastic cups,<ref name=hin11/> and used to be served in [[kulhar]]s (traditional small [[Pottery in the Indian subcontinent|earthen pots]]).<ref name=mint/>

Due to the continued popularity, the bottle and drink have become part of [[popular culture|Indian popular culture]].<ref name=mint/> The drink, which is highly in demand during April-May summer months, is often sold mixed with lemon juice, crushed ice, [[chaat masala]] and [[Kala Namak|kala namak]] (black salt) as a carbonated variant of popular [[List_of_Indian_drinks#Assorted_drinks|traditional]] [[lemonades]] ''[[shikanjvi]]'' or ''[[jal-jeera]]''.<ref name=et/> The ''Banta Soda'' is popular in [[Delhi]], [[Punjab]] and [[Uttar Pradesh]]; and its variation the ''Panneer Soda'', which is mixed with [[Rose oil|rose essence]], is popular in [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]].{{Ref|banta1|Note-1}}<ref name=mint/> In Delhi its is knows as ''"Delhi’s local drink"'', where it remains popular, especially in [[Old Delhi]] and the [[Delhi University]] college campuses.<ref name=hin11/><ref name=hin20/> ''Pandit Ved Prakash Lemon Wale'' near [[Delhi Town Hall|Town Hall]] in [[Chandni Chowk]] in [[Old Delhi]], has been selling this drink since 1870s.<ref name=mint/>

Due to its popularity, it is also available in “fancy“ bars,<ref name=hin1/> and commercially mass-manufactured versions in several flavours are also available in cafes, bars and five star hotels.<ref name=hin11/>

==Background ==
[[File:Codd-neck Soda Water Bottle from Kerala.png|thumb|75px|Example of a [[Codd-neck bottle]].]]

===Etymology===

The drink gets its name from the [[Marble (toy)|marble]] in the Codd-neck bottle. The marbel in [[Hindustani language|hindi]] and [[Punjabi language|punjabi]] is known as the banta, goli, goti, kancha, etc. Hence the names, ''Banta Soda'' and ''Goti Soda'' - as the drink is known in [[North India]], and the ''Goli Soda'' - as the drink is known in [[South India]].<ref name=mint/><ref name=et/><ref name=hin11>{{cite web | title = Banter about Banta|work=The Hindu | url = http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/banter-about-banta/article4633753.ece |date=19 April 2013| access-date = 2014-08-17 }}</ref> In Delhi, it is also called the ''kanchay waali drink'' or ''[[lemon|nimbu]] soda''.<ref name=hin11/><ref name=hin12>{{cite web|title=My desi drink in Delhi |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/food/my-desi-drink-in-delhi/article1-412502.aspx |first=Namya |last=Sinha |date=19 May 2009 |access-date=2014-08-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819085039/http://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/food/my-desi-drink-in-delhi/article1-412502.aspx |archive-date=2014-08-19 }}</ref> ''Fotash Jawl'' is the [[Bengali language|Bengali]] name for this drink.<ref name=hin1>[https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/banta-your-perfect-thirst-quencher-this-summer-1694114 Banta: Your Perfect Thirst Quencher This Summer], NDTV, 20 April 2018.</ref>

===History ===
{{anchor | History }}

The Codd-neck bottle, named after its inventor [[Hiram Codd]] who patented it in 1872, was specially designed for the lemonade and fizzy beverages. Bottles, which then became popular throughout the [[British empire|British colonial empire]] and now cherished as the collector items, are still in production and use in India for banta and in Japan for [[Ramune]]. Until 1900s, before the manufacturing of these bottles started in India, the bottles were imported from Britain. Prior to [[Independence Day (India)|India's independence in 1947]], the bottles were banned in several cities during the [[Indian independence movement]] as the Indian freedom fighters use to add [[Calcium hydroxide|chuna]] (calcium hydroxidechuna) to the soda bottles for making improvised mini cannons.<ref name=mint/>

In 1950s, banta soda was sold on horse-drawn carts which also carried the soda-making equipment.<ref name=hin11/>

==Banta soda making process ==

Ingredients, such as salt and water, are mixed with the flavours using either the fresh fruit juice or commercial flavours, which is then poured into a Codd-neck bottle using a [[funnel]] till the bottle is full. The bottle is placed into soda-making machine, which grips the bottle firmly in a container, and a nozzle from the machine snugly closes the mouth of the bottle and infuses it with the carbon dioxide, after which the container which holds the bottle is rotated 2 or 3 times to further diffuse the carbon dioxide which pushes the marble up the neck of bottle against the gasket at the top, thus sealing the bottle.<ref name=hin11/> Bottles are reusable,<ref name=hin11/> which are collected by the bottlers, cleaned, washed, steamed or sanitised, and rebottled.<ref name=hin1/>

==Present scenario ==

Like [[Ramune]], a drink available in Japan,<ref name=mint/> ''Banta Soda'' in India is also 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.<ref name=hin11/>

===Codd-neck bottle manufacturers ===

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]], all of which have now stopped making Codd-neck bottles. Presently, Khandelwal Glass Works, who has been making these bottles since 1981 at [[Sasni]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]], is the sole manufacturer of Codd-neck bottle in India after their competitor 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 bag containing 75 bottles. By 2010, however, the sales had dropped by nearly half.<ref name=mint>{{cite web | title = Pop culture |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]| url = http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/ltG28LhAkLveUaltMmMasL/Pop-culture.html |date=2 July 2010|author= Anuja & Krish Raghav|access-date = 2014-08-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Your ‘banta’ bottle may have fly juice | url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Your-banta-bottle-may-have-fly-juice/articleshow/7909742.cms?referral=PM |first=Priya |last=Yadav|date= 25 April 2002|access-date = 2014-08-17 | newspaper = [[The Times of India]]}}</ref>

===Soda bottling units ===

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.<ref name=mint/>

The banta soda bottles are largely [[Bottling company|bottled]] by unorganized manufacturers, who sell bottles for as little as {{INR Convert|2}}.<ref name=et/> In 2017, Delhi had over 100 single-room bottling units.<ref name=et>{{cite web | title = Banta: Why the street drink is still popular in Delhi |work= The Economic Times| url = http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/slideshows/spending-lifestyle/banta-why-the-street-drink-is-still-popular-in-delhi/slideshow/20857567.cms |author=Shreya Roy Chowdhury|date=1 July 2013| access-date = 2014-08-17 }}</ref> In 1970s, Chennai had 150 goli soda bottling units in the unorganised sector which had dropped to 50 by 2018.<ref name=hin20/>

Chennai-based Kozzmo Beverages, which started its operations in 2018, has started making commercial pre-packaged hygienic goli soda using a manufacturing unit certified by the [[Food Safety and Standards Authority of India]] (FSSAI). It sells 6 flavours — paneer soda, nimbu [[masala (spice)|masala]], lemon, orange, grape, and pineapple.<ref name=hin20>[https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/goli-soda-gets-trendy/article23503239.ece Goli soda gets a makeover], The Hindu, 11 April 2018.</ref>

==See also==

* [[Ramune]]
* [[Shikanjvi]]
* [[List of Indian drinks]]

==References==

===Notes ===
{{notelist}}
:Note-1.{{Note|banta1}} Based on supply data of India's sole Codd-neck bottles manufacturers. <ref name=mint/>

===Citations ===
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Citrus sodas]]
[[Category:Lemon-lime sodas]]
[[Category:Carbonated drinks]]
[[Category:Indian drinks]]
[[Category:Culture of Delhi]]

==External link ==
* [https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/ltG28LhAkLveUaltMmMasL/Pop-culture.html Banta Soda in popular culture.]

Banta - Revision history

imported>Dirkbb at 20:44, 27 August 2021