The Reinforcement of Ethnic Cuisine in India

With the increase in willingness to experiment with their flavors on the plate, an increasing number of people are willing to try ethnic food of various other cuisines which would help them get a feel of the place that cuisine originates from. The food that originates from the heritage and culture of an ethnic group, who use their knowledge about the local produce and animal sources can be considered ethnic. It is a country’s cuisine that is culturally and socially accepted by consumers outside the ethnic group.

For example, a traditional feast prepared during festivities in Himachal Pradesh known as Dham is a complete food according to Ayurveda. The ethnic food includes Rajmah, Madra, Kadi, Khatta, Sepu Badi, etc. which exhibits the treasure of food heritage and are an integral part of the diet. These dishes are generally prepared to keep in mind the geographical and climatic conditions of the region and according to the traditional methods.

Global citizens nowadays want to try various food verities from around the world while also learning about the country’s culture, history, and geography. Restaurants like Galajee serving non-veg Malwani food to Mumbaikars, Vishalla perfectly blending the rustic settings of rural Gujarat, Karim hotel in Delhi, Haldirams, Murugan Idli shop, and Sarvana Bhavan are a few examples of the ethnic Indian cuisine restaurants in India.

Similar to these ethnic cuisines, the population is also willing to try other global ethnic cuisines like Burmese cuisine. Although it was initially considered a straggler in the Asian cuisine hierarchy, it is a beautiful mix of cultures. Influenced by the rich flavors from India, China, and Thailand, this cuisine has its own unique qualities. There are a lot of restaurants that are coming up with this cuisine, giving them the essence of interesting culinary experiences. As the flavor and ingredients are a mix of the neighboring countries, it is highly appreciated and accepted by the people.

There is a lot of influence on Indian cuisine even in the past and still continues to be there. There are a lot of cuisines that have been adopted by India and have become synonymous to Indian cuisine like the Mughlai or the Awadhi food. There are some which are personalized according to the Indian taste profile, like the Indian Chinese and many more.

New World cuisine is nothing but an amalgamation of global cuisine which is highly accepted and appreciated by consumers. The farm-to-table trends, the fusion trends, molecular gastronomy, inclusion of gastrophysics in a country’s cuisine are all that sum up the new world cuisine. The increase in international quick service restaurants in recent years shows the scope and opportunity in the Indian market. But not every international joint or fusion food restaurants run successfully in the Indian environment. There are a thousand that open every day and close soon after because of various factors. Even the world-famous Mc Donald initially didn’t work in the Indian environment unless it localized its products. The fast food joint Subway opened up a few 100%vegetarian restaurants in the Gujarat region of India to meet the needs of the region, recently Dominos is also turning 100% veg in Gujarat.

So if the country’s religious, cultural, and social needs are looked up to while opening a food business, it is likely to work in the environment. The Indian Chinese has become comfort food for the Indians with its spicy sauces, fried rice preparations, and what we call as Manchurian, vegetable, or meatball tossed in spicy sauces. This food is nowhere similar to authentic Chinese cuisine but has been developed over the years according to the Indian palate. Just like the Indian street food, Indian Chinese can be seen very commonly on the streets as well as in restaurants.

But in the last few years, there has been an increase in authentic Chinese restaurants as well. Hoteliers and restaurants nowadays hire chefs from foreign countries to replicate the cuisine and set menus for them and as spoken about earlier, the millennials have started developing a taste for it and want to experiment and experience such cuisines on their food outings. Similarly, other cuisines, like the Japanese, Mediterranean, Korean, Mexican, and Vietnamese have started emerging in the fine dining segment with a similar kind of experience as one would have in that country itself as mentioned earlier. Celeste, the specialty restaurant in Taj Falaknuma palace, is one such example of renaissance-inspired restaurant. The St. Regis’ Mekong for Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese, Luna Nudo & Luna Gusta for European and Yuuka for Japanese, Taj Club House Chennai’s Kefi which serves Greek food, etc. are a few examples of foreign specialty restaurants that have come up in the country and are true gastronomic experiences. There is still a lot of scope for these specialty restaurants to open up and expand.

A lot of frozen food and packaged food industries comprehended the scope for such cuisines and started manufacturing frozen Sushi, concentrated Thai curries, taco shells, canned curries, and fillings, pasta, sauces, etc., and introduced them to the Indian market. All these products are still not very common in the market as there is only a very small segment who believes in using such products at home, but there is a huge scope in the future for such products as people have got a busy lifestyles and don’t have the time to go out for lavish dinners. However, Indians today usually prefer cooking only Indian meals at home but when they do decide to replicate international plates they would usually pick up the base of the dish from the retail store. For instance, no one would prepare a Thai curry paste from scratch, people would prefer using the ready-made Thai curry paste.

Chinese, Mexican, Thai, Italian, and Middle eastern have now become very common because of their flavor profile which has a blend of spices which suits the Indian palate. Chinese and Thai cuisine has a lot of ingredients in common with the Indian ingredients like the extensive use of coconut, chilies and lime, etc. in their food which makes it commercially more popular.

Mexican cuisine is spicy just like Indian food and uses a lot of similar ingredients in their dishes like the usage of maize flour to make tortillas is very similar to the Makki ki roti eaten in India, and extensive usage of tomatoes, corn, kidney beans, etc. also makes it similar to the Indian cuisine and hence it is readily accepted by Indians.

The rise of pasta and pizza easily demonstrates how much Italian food is loved in India. The reason it is so successful in India is that it is a complete meal in itself and also because of its relaxed, informal style. The small sandwich shops on the streets of India also serve Pizzas and at times prepare it with fresh dough. There are a lot of hotels having authentic Italian specialty restaurants and pizzas and pasta have become a common food for people in the country.

On the other hand cuisines like the Japanese, Peruvian, Scandinavian, etc. are still alien to the Indian market and might have some scope in the future. But the segment who would like to try and appreciate it would be very less because of the expensiveness of the cuisines. Also, in Japanese cuisine, the meat used is uncooked and this is still not very acceptable in India. To replicate such cuisines, the ingredient procurement, the skilled labor, and other factors play a major role, and procurement of such ingredients and skills makes it even more expensive. For example, procuring the seaweed used in making sushi, or the sushi rice, wasabi, or other such ingredients, it becomes a very expensive affair for the restaurant and hence they charge a premium for the food and the experience.

Overall, there is a triumph of premiumization in the subcontinent. A lot of Gourmet shops selling foreign products have come up in the country. People have started knowing about avocados, cold-pressed juices, truffle oil, and olive oil and the health-conscious segment of our country has started using them in their diet plans. As the nutritional values of these products are known and now they are easily available in the market, the diet of the people is taking shape accordingly.