A video of soya chaap being prepared at an Agra factory has left netizens horrified and willing to permanently swear off the popular vegetarian dish. The now-viral clip sparked widespread concern about hygiene and food safety practices with many urging the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to regulate street food.
Visuals shared online show workers elbow deep in batter without gloves as they mix the concoction by hand and standing barefoot in a large tub of soyabean pulp while forming the chaap. Others were seen spreading the batter out on the floor before shaping it into small balls on sticks. The montage has since gathered millions of views across social media platforms and left many nauseated.
“Soya Chaap will never be the same for me after watching this,” read one post.
“This food should be banned,” lamented another user on X.
“Mat dekhao khalene do jee bar ke. Ek hi zindagi hai,” countered a third on Instagram.
“They boil it in the end. So its all fine,” assured a fourth.
Many social media users also tagged the FSSAI to urge immediate action against the makers. And while some appeared ambivalent towards the ‘unhygienic’ cooking process they were also taken aback by the choice of ingredients. Several commenters were spotted questioning the extensive use of flour (maida) in making the dish.
“The name is only Soya Chaap but no Soya only Maida. Most harmful element for the human body,” fumed one social media user.
The consensus — for most on the internet — was to permanently abstain from consuming the dish.
“Will never eat soya chap again,” dozens promised in conclusion.
Soya chaap is typically made using a combination of soy chunks, soya beans and flour. It has gained popularity as a street food item as well as restaurant favourite in several parts of India for its meat-like texture and flavouring.
