Food observations of 2017

This is my observation of the food trends in 2017. It is not a clinical and precise observation. It is oblique and cursory. Yet, I believe it gives an overall picture of the food trend in India and across the world.

Street food or rather street food vendors were the limelight. Seventy-year-old Jay Fai or Auntie Fai, known as the ‘Queen of Thai Street food’ was awarded the Michelin star. She is best known for her crab omelette and other wok-fired dishes like noodles with prawns and crab.

Near home, in Mangaluru (formerly Mangalore) a woman street food vendor drew the attention of industrialist Anand Mahindra. He was impressed by Shilpa (34) who is running a successful food truck on a Mahindra Bolero pick-up and offered to invest in the mobile food truck business run by and said will personally invest in her expansion plans. Shilpa is reportedly planning to start her second outlet to help her brother

Shilpa started her mobile food truck business after her husband had gone missing since 2008. A single mother, she hails from Hassan and dropped out of school after class 10.

The words ‘Chana’ and ‘Chana dal’, made their entry into the Oxford English Dictionary. Chickpeas (chana) and the split chickpea lentils (chana dal) are a staple of Indian meals. It is a feather in the cap for Indian cuisine.

The revered rasogolla of West Bengal was given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag as Banglar Rasogolla. The neighbouring state of Odisha too had claimed and contested that the Rasogolla as its invention (perhaps more about that in a separate blog).

Rasogolla now joins the list of other iconic sweets of India including Mysore Pak and Dharwad peda (Karnataka), Tirupati Ladoo and Bandar Ladoo (Andhra Pradesh).

However, the famous Hyderabadi Biryani failed to secure a GI tag. The Deccan Biryani Makers Association, who had applied for the GI tag could not prove the historical origin and date relating to the popular dish. GI tag or no tag, it is still delectable.

The ubiquitous Khichdi was promoted as the National dish of India at the World Food India event in New Delhi. Indeed, Khichdi, deserves to be the National dish going by the number of variations of the Khichdi found in the country: Bisi bele baath (Karnataka), Khara and Ven Pongal (Tamil Nadu), Pulagam, a dry khichdi made of rice and yellow moong dal (Andhra Pradesh), Sabudana khichdi (popular in Madhya Pradesh and surrounding states), Meetha Khechudi (Odisha), Aamish Kichdi which uses mustard oil (West Bengal), Black rice khichdi (Mizoram), Valachi Khichdi made using sprouts (Maharashtra), Vaghareli Khichdi (Gujarat), Kathiyawadi Khichdi (Rajasthan and Gujarat), Bajra Khichdi (Haryana), Tur dal khichdi (Punjab), Mong Khetchir (Kashmir), Urad khichdi (Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand), Galho, a khichdi made by Angami tribes of Nagaland.

Apart from the traditional khichdi, there are khichdis with a twist like Oats and tuna khichdi, apple and mutton khichdi, lotus seed and broken wheat khichdi.  In fact, you can try your own variation.

Incidentally ‘Khichdi’ has contributed the word ‘kedgeree’ to the English language owing to the British presence in India.

Khichdi is a healthy option when you are not in a mood for fancy food. The General Manager of a three star hotel once told me that frequent travellers opt for homely food like khichdi when the check in a hotel after a tiring journey.

Traditional food has been brought on to the highways and tourist spots. Bamboo chicken, for instance, was a traditional delicacy among some Adivasis (tribes) of Andhra Pradesh. The unique flavour is due to the traditional method of cooking in a bamboo stem.

A farmer had opened a Neera Juice Parlour on Mysuru-Bengaluru Road. Neera is a non-alcoholic drink extracted from coconut palms.

I wanted to make a reference to an important trend of 2017. Something about free lunch or almost free lunch, but then I thought it deserves a separate blog post.