F&B

Indian Palate Gets A Taste Of World Cuisine

Hotels and restaurants introduce world cuisine to their menu as more and more diners look for exotica and variety. Neeti Chopra reports.

The Indian palate has acquired a taste for the exotic. Desi food seems to have taken a backseat at the moment and world cuisine is taking centrestage as more and more food lovers try to experiment and discover variety in their meals. Globalisation has never been this apparent.

To cater to these demands, an increasing number of hotels and restaurants in the metros are lining up international cuisine from distant shores on their menu. The more outlandish a dish, the more demand it has. But while these food houses try and synthesise new influences to please food lovers, they simultaneously try and adapt to Indian tastes. However, the favourites this season range from spicy Thai to delicious Mexican, with the hottest bet being the Southeast Asian and Italian cuisines.

Variety In Spice

This gradual change in food habits is thought to be brought about by extensive international travel and the urge to experiment. Explaining why hotels and restaurant chains are now concentrating on international cuisine, Chef Davinder Kumar, associate vice president (Food Production) at Le Meridien, says, "Over the last couple of years, there has been a drastic change in the Indian lifestyle. Young people are being exposed to different world cultures and introduced to new food. So while Indians have been traditionally been conservative eaters, they now want more variety."

There was a time when eating Chinese was in vogue and had diners licking their lips for more. But unlike Lebanese cuisine, the taste for the Oriental (albeit adapted to Indian taste buds) has sustained the test of time. One can find a Chinese joint more easily than a Punjabi dhaba today. In the spotlight at the moment, Chef Davinder feels, is Southeast Asian and Japanese cuisine. He says, "The trend towards eating 'fresh' and natural food is fuelling the demand for Southeast Asian leafy greens, herbs and preparation techniques such as stir-frying, braising, grilling and steaming."

Therefore, what consumers are looking for is authenticity - something different, yet familiar. They are becoming familiar with spices and strong flavouring. Many of the newer ethnic foods such as Thai, Malaysian and Tunisian, possess the hot spices that Indians seek. For the gourmet consumer, Thai cuisine is the new mainstream ethnic cuisine just like Chinese is the more cautious consumer's choice. Thai cuisine features cooking profiles similar to Chinese, but often with spicier and more intense flavouring.

Another style of cuisine that has not worn out in India is Mexican food. New Spanish and French restaurants are reappearing, spurring demand for imported food products since many ingredients used in these dishes aren't locally produced. Sushi bars, for example, are driving the demand for certain sea products while the popularity of Mexican-style cuisine has assured the continual presence of nachos and salsa on supermarket shelves.

The trend towards eating 'fresh' and natural food is fuelling the demand for Southeast Asian leafy greens, herbs and preparation techniques such as stir-frying, braising, grilling and steaming Chef Davinder Kumar Associate VP Food Production Le Meridien

Chef Davinder says, "Five years ago, few diners had heard of anything beyond sushi. But today, they are spoilt for choice and they can choose between delicate tuna sashimi, pure vegetarian rolled maki sushi and the flamboyant teppanyaki." Mumbai has seen the opening of a spate of new sushi bars, as also restaurants serving Korean, Moroccan, Malaysian, Indonesian, Italian, Lebanese, Burmese and Mongolian food.

Chef Rakesh Kumar, executive chef at the New Delhi-based Crowne Plaza Surya, says, "Since India is being perceived as a new business hub now, there is an increase in foreign tourists. This segment of customers looks for a cuisine that is closer to their national cuisine; they look for international food joints."

Multicultural Dining

Nowadays, Indian hotels and restaurants are devoting more time and money to multicultural dining. Rather than organising food festivals, they have started focussing on promoting international cuisine. Chef Rakesh says, "Food promotions introduce new products into the market and create awareness about international food cultures. On the other hand, food festivals are often promotions of certain sections of the menu. These can either be new additions that require a kick-start or slow-moving items that need a push. They do not create brand awareness and are dedicated efforts towards one cuisine only."

He further points out that cuisine such as Japanese and Thai, although very popular, are rarely the focus of such promotions. This may be due to the existence of hotel outlets already showcasing these cuisines, the difficulty faced by the guest chefs as well as the hosts in term of language, the requirement of importing a wide array of culturally-specific ingredients, or the specialised culinary training to put it all together in an authentic fashion.

A lot of research goes into deciding the menu of international cuisine. The decision is taken after consultations with the sales and F&B departments. The aim is to keep it as close to the authentic as possible. "Innovation must be done in a structured and systematic manner. One has to consider a cuisine's history and plan its lifespan to accrue emotional bonding. There is a huge market but competition is strong. Therefore, it is important to position yourself in a niche segment and ensure that you never dilute your standards," says Chef Davinder.

Research apart, importing speciality chefs is more than just a fad these days. Specialisation gives authenticity to a regional cuisine. For instance, Thai food prepared by a Thai chef appears more authentic than the one prepared by an Indian chef.

This has catapulted demand for international chefs in Indian hotels in order to groom and train Indian chefs. Perhaps this liberalisation of attitudes in India will also see two countries integrate in these times of globalisation and multiculturalism.