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Only second to the Taj Mahal, if there’s something that has made its place in people's heart around the globe - it is our food.
Indian cuisine stands at number nine among the top 10 cuisines in the World which indicates that people love our food as much as we love it. The spices, flavors, variants are infinite in number. And if we talk about our popularity, it’s spread across the seven continents. In this blog, I will be taking you through five such countries where we, Indians made our cuisine popular and also the mysterious history behind all those establishments.
On number 5, we have the United States:
All we know about the United States is that it is a dream destination for many of us. And a number of Indians have travelled in the past to the United States but guess what?
Immigration didn't only help us in finding our dream jobs but also led to the introduction of Indian food in America. The first time the Americans heard of an Indian restaurant was in early 1920. The news flashed in many newspapers of New York and Chicago and told people that we were here to not just live our dreams but, also give them a taste of our rich cuisine.
Presently, there are about 300 restaurants in New York itself that serve cuisine from across India whereas in the 1980s there were merely 20 of them.
Now, the question arises that if Indian cuisine is so popular why have I placed it on number 5 and not on number 1?
The answer doesn’t lie in the food habits of the people but their mindsets. Indian food is the most labor-intensive among all others. But the Americans want it at cheap rates which leads to many restaurant owners hire unskilled labor and that further degrades the quality of food. The second reason is that Americans prefer snacks and curry, or tikka isn’t one of them. But we do have a solution there and our street food such as Papri chaat, dahi puri, bhel puri are among the most loved snacks in the US.
Other dishes that are most enjoyed are Samosa chaat, Navratan korma, chicken platter, Chicken makhani, and lamb vindaloo.
On number 4, we have Germany:
Although Indian cuisine is quite popular in Europe, it gets a great deal of attention in Germany especially. The annual Indian events that are held in Germany are a proof of it. Let me state a very recent food event that took place in Berlin.
On June 10, 2018, the Embassy of India in Germany hosted an event called “Food Festival of India”. The event had around 12 stalls with delicacies from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, and West Bengal among others. And more than 4000 people thronged the venue. Not only Germans but ambassadors and diplomats from other nations attended the event too and it was a huge success.
Germans are fond of vegetarian food and Indian cuisine gives them ample choices. There are restaurants more than 50 years old located in Berlin that serve all kinds of Indian food ranging from palak paneer to rogan josh(a Kashmiri delicacy) to tandoori chicken to around 12 types of naan! Not only do they love our food for its taste but they also find it vibrant and Germans are known to experiment whether it be their taste buds or their technology.
Here’s a tip: If you’re a chai person and you happen to come across an Indian restaurant. You can interact and convince them to make authentic chai for you at odd hours. They will be more than happy to do so!
On Number 3, we have South Korea:
We were introduced to Korean food before we could enter their premises. Keep reading and you will know shortly the story behind it.
Korea has a deep connection with Chennai. It all started when Hyundai started its operations in India in 1996. Along with Hyundai came several other Korean companies like Samsung, LG, Hanon, and their employees brought their families along with them. The majority of them settled in Tamil Nadu and were acquainted with Indian food. They stayed true to themselves and when they went back they made our food a part of their menu and since then Indian restaurants are into the mainstream.
Apart from curry, some of the other dishes that Koreans are fond of are Bhakri, Kulfi, Keema, Tandoori chicken, and naan. They don't prefer 'roti' or 'chapati' as they are more dependent on flour than wheat. And only two out of a hundred say they would prefer a dosa or idli but that's just because South Indian food hasn't yet entered the Korean market. But the day it does, I am sure they will fall for it too!
On Number 2, we have Japan:
When it comes to Japan, I will have to say they’ve been a very good host to our curry. It is the second most popular dish after ramen and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that they've already declared it as their national food. Curry was first introduced to them by the British when they were still colonizing India and since then they accepted it as their own. The reason behind curry being so popular is the spices that are used during its preparation. Japanese consider the Indian spices to be healthy so much so that they add turmeric and chili in their diet smoothies. Hard to believe for some of us but that's a fact!
Though they love Indian-style curry, they have always tried making it in their ways as well. And for this very purpose, every year there is an event called “Curry Grand Prix” where chefs from across the country come to participate and show their skills at cooking the dish using their own methods.
Some of the many dishes enjoyed by the Japanese are idli, vada, Tunday kebab, Hilsa Fish Curry, and saag.
On number 1, we have the United Kingdom:
This is an eye-opening story. And you probably didn't know that it was the UK, which popularized our food across the globe. Stay tuned and you might now onwards remember the British for something other than people who captured and colonized India.
A lot of people immigrated to the UK right after World War II and that generated a demand for Indian food. Although it is surprising to know that there already existed an Indian restaurant in the early ’90s which means Indian restaurants were operating in the UK even before the migration. The first restaurant to open-up was the Hindoostane Coffee House in 1810 by Sake Dean Mahomed who was a Bengali. However, it was short-lived. After only a year he had to close it down and that led to his bankruptcy. This discouraged many others who were seeking to open an Indian restaurant. But here comes the twist. Queen Victoria who was fond of India so much that she learned Hindi and Urdu, made Indian food a household name.
Now, her fondness steered her to experiment with Indian food and she was the one that made curry cool again. She had various chefs cooking Indian food for her and in her reign there emerged many Indian restaurants and one of them is Veeraswamy in London, it was opened in 1926 by Edward Palmer and is still considered one of the best in class. From there, originated a trend that makes the UK a food hotspot to many Indians. It is so embedded in their culture that Britain has over 9,000 Indian restaurants and fascinatingly, London itself reportedly has more Indian restaurants than Mumbai or Delhi!
It's astounding how we embarked on a journey that we initially didn't even plan on going. We have made it through the world and people love our food. It has touched every corner of the globe but it remains untouched by vague elements and manages to maintain its authenticity, flavors, texture, and, most importantly its taste.