Food experts say hospitality is the DNA of Indian culture
- 15 Feb 2020
Gulf Today Report
India, popular for its culture and art and amidst a professor David Foskett, a member of The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, Craft Guild of Chefs and a fellow of the Institute of Hospitality and Chef Brian Turner, from the United Kingdom attended the 6th International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) recently held in the land of diversity.
Foskett, an avid vegetarian, loved the vegetarian food, the colour and most importantly the Indian hospitality.
“Hospitality is in the DNA of Indian people and I think that India is the most hospitable country in the world,” Foskett said.
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Foskett perceived Indian food as one of the best food cultures in the world.
Foskett said, “I come from the UK where the most favoured dish is curry, which comes from India. Indian food is everywhere in the UK and curry has become like our national dish.”
Turner on the other side embraced the Indian cuisine and said in an interview that the Indian cuisine all of a sudden has become really in demand back in the UK, Europe and America.
The use of spices has some major healing properties. There is a huge movement in the US and now in the UK on culinary medicine, which majorly derives its inspiration from Indian Ayurveda and spices, says Foskett.
Turner said that UK has always had a very strong following of Indian food, but what has happened now is more authenticating. About 20-30 years back in the UK, westernisation overtook the Indian cuisine as well. But now that people are travelling more, they understand what proper Indian cuisine looks like. The authenticity is changing and it's spreading through the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and it's really becoming popular.
According to Foskett, Indian vegetarian cuisine is the best and the most flavoursome in the world whereas Turner said Indian and Thai are the most interesting and versatile food.
Foskett further added that, “Food is a part of our culture and it also unites us. People must never lose the concept of basic food culture. It's okay to have lots of experiments with food and I am all for it but we must never lose sight of basic culture and basic dishes because that's what we are.”
While talking about experimenting with cuisines, Turner said people modernise and make different recipes with food and it happens in India as well. But as long as they stay true to their roots, there is nothing wrong with modernising presentations and putting a slight twist on something. But when you do too much, that takes it away from its root of what the dish was and you're starting to ruin it. You must never forget where the history of that dish comes from and the authenticity of it.
Because every dish has a history of its own.