ARTISANALLY INDIAN

THE FARM TO TABLE CONCEPT PICKS UP STEAM AS CHEFS AND FOOD ENTREPRENEURS CONCOCT GOURMET EXPERIMENTS USING INDIGENOUS AND ARTISANAL INDIAN INGREDIENTS. AS 2024 ROLLS, THE FOOD SCENE GETS HEALTHY BUT WITH DOLLOPS OF TASTE.

- Sharmi Adhikary

We are thinking panipuri in our heads but the calorie meter warns. The fried puffed puri filled with potato mash and dunked in imli water can send your tastebuds into a tizzy but in the age of ‘health indeed is wealth’ what if the body is directed to an equally scrumptious alternative that does not lead to weight worries. Maybe a ragi pani puri stuffed with dried green peas and sprouted moong ragda and spiked with a guava rock sugar compote that goes into your mouth filled with a kaffir lime and raw mango blended spice water. Trust me when we say it is taste and health packed neatly into a whole that fans the flourishing concept of fresh seasonal produce landing up on a food connoisseur’s table to satiate his penchant for tasty preparations while never negotiating on the wellness bit. Honestly, in the age of fast food and quick meals, eating good food is of paramount importance. And when we say good, it is understood that the quality, the ingredients and the way the food is prepared becomes the prime point of deciding whether the food makes the cut.

As 2024 begins, we delve into the concept of farm to table a bit deeper to understand how seasonal produce is being handpicked and incorporated into interesting dishes that are versatile and tasty. While chefs are travelling all the way to Kashmir to procure local and rare ingredients that are being offered to foodies via nouvelle culinary options, gourmet meals highlighted with vegan options and ayurvedic inspirations are flooring the health conscious. And then you have food entrepreneurs trekking to the hills to return with fruits and berries that make it to pastes and potions to remind the palate of the wholesome tastes of childhood.