Remembering forgotten Indian flavours

India is known for its incredible diversity found in its culture and geography. Food is an integral part of one such distinct delight that the country adorns. It not only exhibits the disparate spices that different state offers but it also represents a way of life. Traversing through the Indian food map, one can infer striking dissimilarities up from north in Kashmir to down south in Kerala. 

“We are blessed to have such fabulous chefs in the country that has brought the culinary landscape of the world closer to our shores and taken Indian culinary food all over the world,” stated Diwan Gautam Anand, Founding Trustee, Cuisine India Foundation.

The eminent panel moderated by Diwan Gautam Anand, Founding Trustee, Cuisine India Foundation, included Manisha Bhasin, Corporate Chef, ITC Limited - Hotels Division; Himanshu Taneja, Culinary Director- South Asia, Mariott International; Amit Chowdhury, Executive Chef, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai; Sharad Dewan, Regional Director- Food Production, The Park Hotels; Rajeev Janveja, Corporate Chef, Lemon Tree Hotels; Rakesh Sethi, Corporate Executive Chef Corporations, South Asia Radisson Hotel Group; Chef Parvinder Singh Bali, Corporate Chef, Learning & Development, The Oberoi Centre of Learning & Development; and Kunal Vijayakar, Food Writer, Author, Television Presenter & Travel and Food Documentarian.

The exquisite delicacies from Indian cuisine are embedded with history, with each narrating its own tale. However, over time, many recipes have faded away. Star-studded chefs from across the nation celebrated such lost recipes at the 5th edition of BW Hotelier’s Indian Hospitality Awards 2020. 

“India is a vast country and every 100 kms that you travel, you encounter new culture, new cuisines and the same ingredients, I use different ways of blending altogether different flavour to dishes. These dishes are heavily laced with history and they are usually the food habits followed five decades back but over time, many recipes have faded away,” asserted Amit Chowdhury, Executive Chef, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. “Almost lost and forgotten over time recipes are the integral part of India and reminds us of rich culinary heritage,” he added. 

Chef Chowdhury further talking about his menu said, “I have made the menu which is an attempt to create some of the lost dishes from our Indian cuisine and give them a touch of modernity without impacting the essence of their originality.”

Renowned and celebrated Indian chefs imparted insights into the glorious past of the flavours and spices of India while talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘vocal for local’ which highlights the significance of local brands to have global presence.

Chef Bhasin discussed about the dishes from early medieval, late medieval Delhi and Delhi era set in Humayun’s ruling era. She discussed about the food in India evolved into subtleties such as Biryanis, Kormas and Qaliyans which were the founding stone of the cuisine of Northern India. She reimagined these hidden gems.

Chef Taneja while emphasizing on the indigenous said “indigenous ingredients are very own to our incredible country and we are very proud to have them. The demography of our country is remarkable with the fertile soil and all the four weathers. Indeed, we relish these natural luxuries of our country.”

Chef Janveja believes that like most chefs he has learnt the art of cooking from his mother. He presented the cuisines he learnt at home and thereby, took them to hotels.

Chef Sethi on the other hand, conversed about the compilation of his menu which comprises of the heritage, quality, atmosphere and sustainability. He said, “Indian’s rich cultural heritage is known the world over. This diversity of culture can be seen in our enormous cuisines. Indian cuisine in true sense is an amalgamation of cultures, traditions and influences of different ethnic communities absorbed and imbibed over the centuries. We consider food as an auspicious entity to preserve culture and connect people other than satisfying hunger and perform body functions.”

“We need to revive our traditional cuisines and promote it to ensure it is not lost. Traditional food s provide link to the past and serves as the reminder of our rich food culture,” he mentioned.

Chef Bali’s menu orbited around the theme of landscapes and ecosystem. He stated, “With India’s dramatic changes and its terrain in a relatively small radius of 200 kms, there’s direct access to country products right from various altitudes ranging from the coast to the hills. I have taken inspiration from these terrains and depicted various indigenous ingredients from across the country.”

Chef Dewan talked about his menu which talked about the Karma which revolves around seven courses. Each course represent the milestones of the people he has had worked with. 

The chefs offered glimpses of the Indian gourmet which is the perfect blend of different cultures and spices spanning across ages. Influenced by the needs and tastes of its indigenous people and explorers, Indian culinary caters to the veracity of taste buds. Even after evolving to extents over the period considering its vast and varied landscape, India has somehow managed to retain its exceptional heritage and identity in a global gastronomic landscape.