Ever tasted Chutagi, O-Skyu, Chocolate Mok Mok or Yelle Hollage and Savi Gade Palle? Well, these tongue twisters are rather yummy delights from regions as far flung as Ladakh and Hampi. And now, they are increasingly finding flavour with premium dining destinations as luxury hotels seek to tingle the taste buds of their globetrotting clientele with food that is regional and exotic.
Gone are the days when hotel food fests primarily included delicacies from international destinations such as Italy, Germany, Vietnam or Korea. The culinary traditions, ripe ingredients, cooking techniques and intricate spices from across communities in India are getting increasingly popular with top chefs from luxe hotels who promote regional fare along with cultural activities, folk dances, music and story-telling, to make the experience all the more exciting.
Says Anthony Huang, Executive Chef, JW Marriott Bengaluru, “Every single region in India is diverse and there is an opportunity for every cuisine to be showcased, without the need to be biased towards any.”
“The idea is to bring forth hidden gems. Cuisines like Bohri and Ladakhi are fine examples of unique flavours which deserve to be showcased,” says Yogen Datta, Executive Chef, ITC Gardenia.
According to executive chef Anurudh Khanna from Shangri-La Hotel, Bengaluru, exotic Indian cuisines are based on a holistic approach to health and nutrition and prepared using local ingredients that carry their own therapeutic benefits. “Our culinary teams travel to the regions to get first -hand learning from locals which helps to maintain the sanctity of the preparations, be it the ingredients, cooking techniques and how it is served.”
To enhance the authentic flavour and touch, and outdo the competition by enticing guests with epicurean feasting, hotels now bring in home chefs. According to Huang, the reason why home chefs come and cook is that they tend to follow a particular style that cannot be replicated in a commercial kitchen. “Sometimes we even re-learn our basics and focus on the retention of nutrients, as opposed to being preoccupied with the presentation. The home-style food cooked by home chefs receives appreciation, in spite of being different from what is usually served at a hotel,” says Huang.
Moreover, chefs from faraway lands bring in an undeniable whiff of cultural heritage, apart from their unique offerings, “which turns into a big draw as the innate curiosity to explore the unknown nudges guests towards our doorsteps,” Datta.
THE AUTHENTIC TASTE
- The culinary traditions, cooking techniques are getting increasingly popular with top chefs from luxe hotels
- To enhance the authentic flavour and touch, hotels now bring in home chefs they
- They tend to follow a particular style that cannot be replicated in a commercial kitchen
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