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Matka Kulfi, Stick Kulfi, Kulfi Falooda, Mango Kulfi, Pista Kulfi, Badnaam Kulfi… Wait, what? Badnaam Kulfi? What kind of a name is that? Is that a flavour or is it what we’re thinking it is? Hard to believe that a kulfi can be badnaam. Badnaam is a Hindi word for bad name , quite literally. It is used when someone brings upon them self a bad reputation due to their actions or words. Iss mein iss beechari kulfi ka kya kasoor hai huzoor?
Source: Foodies V/s Quora/Facebook
Kanpur’s famous Badnaam Kulfi is sold at a popular sweet shop in the city. While Kanpur is famous for several of its street food items, this one has been featured time and again due to its quirky name. The founder of Thaggu Ke Laddu, Mattha Pandey, knew pretty well that marketing his sweets the regular way wouldn’t fetch him as many customers. This gimmick of giving his sweets a distinct name (chahe badnaam hi sahi) will attract eyeballs and create a niche for his shop.
At first, it would appear to you like any other local sweet shop but once you try their badnaam kulfi , there is no looking back. This kulfi comes with a creative tagline, “Mehmaan ko chakhaana nahi, tik jayega” (don’t let your guests taste it, they won’t leave your house).
Source: Kanpur/Facebook
Apart from such an insanely smart tagline, the taste of the kulfi speaks for itself. The rich, creamy texture and sweet flavour almost feels like you are having a frozen rabri. The secret you ask? Well, the trick to this amazing Kesar Pista kulfi is that it is not frozen. Instead, they hand-churn the kulfi mixture between blocks of ice and salt. The churning goes on until the liquid solidifies and you get a rabri-like taste and texture. A 100 gms of eco-friendly dona of kulfi is sold for INR 50.
Also, if you’re still wondering why it is called Thaggu ke Laddu then you should definitely try them too. Let us save that story for another day.
