Croissant Chaos: When "Prashant" Became the Pastry of Choice

A viral video capturing an Indian boy's confident mispronunciation of "croissant" as "prashant" led to a witty response from Britannia, which temporarily renamed its own croissants "rashant." This event underscores a widespread phenomenon in India where foreign and even regional Indian food names are frequently mispronounced.

Across the nation, culinary terms like "crêpe" and "crème brûlée" often undergo phonetic transformations. This trend extends to German words, where "Sachertorte" might be linked to Marathi "sakhar" (sugar), and "Muskatnuss" sounds like a slap. Similarly, Indian dishes such as "Nenjelumbu rasam" are humorously altered.

This linguistic adaptation isn't limited to foreign foods. French intern Adeline Lannes found the "croissant-prashant" incident amusing and relatable, noting that she herself once mispronounced "sandesh" as "sandwich." Preetam Shah, a hospitality executive, observed similar patterns with "kadhi" being called "curry" and "Akha Adad" referred to as "Aka Dad."

Home chef Shruti Mahajan from Bengaluru finds the evolution of regional pronunciations fascinating, citing the friendly debate over whether "dosa" is pronounced "do-sa" or "do-sha." These instances showcase a vibrant cultural interaction where linguistic variations become a fun part of culinary exploration.