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With the 18th G20 Summit 2023 just around the corner, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on 9th and 10th September 2023, the preparations for the momentous event are at their peak. The G20 Heads of State and Government Summit in New Delhi on these dates will be a culmination of all the G20 meetings held throughout the year—and Delhi’s premium hotels are already gearing up with curated menus that feature millets and more. But it is not only the heads of state and global leaders who will get a taste of millets and Indian food.
Recent posts by the G20 organisation and members of various delegations show that the meetings and events being held currently, which are being attended by global ministers, senior officials and civil society institutions before the heads of states arrive, are also putting Indian millets and curated Indian regional cuisines on the plate. These events are supposed to lay the groundwork before the heads of states, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, attend the key events on 9th and 10th September 2023.
A case in point is the recent G20 Delegates Experience, which familiarised G20 delegates and officials with the wide variety of millets grown across India and the dishes prepared with each. In a video released on social media, G20 delegates can be seen visiting both an outdoor and an indoor event that showcases sweet and savoury dishes made with millets by homegrown entrepreneurial ventures and small-scale farmers. The experience introduced the delegates to millet varieties like kodo millet, barnyard millet, red jowar millet, little millet, proso millet, etc to highlight that 2023 is the International Year of Millets.
At another event, held by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), delegates associated with sustainable and homegrown fashion entrepreneurs of India through a curated experience and show. This event also included a lavish dinner, with a curated menu that highlighted not only millets but also regional Indian dishes. A glimpse at the menu shows that starters like Moong Dal Chaat, Tandoori Malai Broccoli and amaranth-loaded Kebab Labgeer were followed by main course dishes like Paneer Laung Latika, Khatta Meetha Kumra, Kadhi Pakodi, Dal Bukhara, Panch Anaj Paratha and Nimona Pulao.
Among these dishes, the Motiya Palak had a sorghum gravy, the Panch Anaj Paratha had a mix of millet flours and the Pista Elaichi Shrikhand had a millet crisp. Other desserts included Badam Halwa and Thande Phalon Ki Kheer. The entire menu was vegetarian and also highlighted the variety of veggies and fruits grown in the country. For those unaware, the FDCI is a non-profit organisation that focuses on the sustainable growth of Indian fashion businesses. Their dinner, like other events for G20 delegates, highlighted the fact that there is certainly more to come as the G20 Summit 2023 dates come nearer.
