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One of the most memorable meals I have had in recent times was in Belgaum a couple of years ago, just before the Covid pandemic changed our lives forever. The conference venue was a resort in Belgaum, which is in the Belagavi district of Karnataka, bordering Maharashtra and Goa, as a result of which this coconut tree-lined town shares some typical cultural aspects of the two bordering states, including cuisines which overlap each other, such as the robust, spicy food of Kolhapur which is about 50 kms away.
So, there we were, being hosted to a fabulous Kolhapuri-Malvani-Goan meal by a local caterer organized by the event management company (also local) in charge of the conference logistics. So I remember the pleasure of digging into some scrumptiously crisp Rava-fried Surmai (king fish steaks), the fiery Kala Mutton Curry (named so because of its black shade, thanks to the near-charred fried onion and coconut flakes and no turmeric), and the Kolhapuri deadly duo Pandhra Rassa and Tambada Rassa. While both the curries are made using mutton/chicken stock, the former has a creamy white gravy, made ot of coconut paste and sesame, while the latter is a spicy red one made using the famed Byadgi red chillies. There were also crisp bhakris (puffed up like puris), Kolhapuri Chicken biryani (and a Goli veg biryan version too), some kickass green chillies theccha and a crisp, full-of-goodness carrot moong bean sprouts koshambir salad.
The next day’s lunch, however, was catered by a five star hotel chain, the only such hotel in the belt. How much so ever the hotel’s senior F&B management level in their black suits and ties came to everyone’s table to seek their feedback over the meal, it was an indifferent response at the most. For while the multicuisine spread the fancy hotel brand had put up had something for everyone, it failed to light a spark. It must have been more disappointing to have guests asking the host about the previous day’s local cuisine catering which had appealed to everyone’s tastebuds.
This was a typical case of the novel, offbeat flavours of micro cuisines prevalent in the near vicinity, which scored over a predictable, blah, bit-of-everything buffet spread, the typical multicuisine conference food, with chicken biryani nudging elbows with Veg Au Gratin and Dal Makhani, a perfunctory lunch, with zero culinary impact.
While regional cuisines started being acknowledged and showcased about a decade ago, in food promotions or food pop ups by food experts across India’s F&B fine dining /middling/home chefs/ categories about a decade ago, the global phenomenon of micro cuisines or sub regional cuisines is a trend worth applauding. Especially as it celebrates the rich, layered and complex diversity of foods which go into India’s melting pot way beyond the butter chicken, naan-roti dal makhni, biryani and gulab jamun stereotype which defined Indian food across the world for years!
Chef Thomas Zacharias, who had worked earlier at the Bombay Canteen with the legendary chef late Floyd Cardoz known for showcasing obscure regional cuisines, is one of those maverick chefs who focus on the micro cuisines of India with his initiative called Locavore. Locavore is a narrative about diets which consists only or principally of locally grown or produced food and aims at promoting hyperlocal foods which are typical of that region but getting underrepresented and on the verge of extinction.
Chef Thomas’s posts on Instagram about rare vegetables and cuisines found in small sub-regions across India is a fascinating journey of learning about our country’s diversified cuisine profile. Be it the tribal Garo cuisine of Meghalaya or the rare wild monsoon green called Gharbandi which grows in the Sahyadri mountains, Himalayan Jakhiya or wild mustard grown in Uttarakhand on the rich nutrient dense Himalayan soil, or even Gahat Dal also known as horsegram, with its rich calcium and protein profile, sourced directly from the Bhatwadi region of Uttarakhand, Locavore is all about celebrating the relatively lesser-known foods which deserve both our attention and applause as they define food eco systems for centuries.
Recently, Avinash Patnaik the sole Odia contestant at Masterchef India Season 7 wowed the jury panel of Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar and Garima Arora (and the world watching him) with his dish Flavours of Tatini, named after his maternal grandmother Tatini, (which means river in Odia) who taught him this sweet-tangy fish curry simply called Khatta Meetha in their home. Usually made with small fish called Chuna Macha in Odia, the recipe is popular in the northern districts of Bhadrakh and Balasore in Odisha. Soon after this episode was aired, social media posts by Odia community were going viral with the narrative veering towards how Odia cuisine considered quite obscure (and within it, the even lesser-known microcuisine of northern Odisha) was getting its rightful place under the sun.
Pic- eodishaorg
Social media has also been helpful in boosting micro cuisine food trends like the iconic Mudhi Mangsa or puffed rice –mutton curry combination of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha which has made a great comeback not only in Baripada, (the district headquarters and also where the erstwhile Maharaja’s palace is located) but also in other cities and towns of Odisha like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Puri, and extending to Odia communities in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. spawning.” The most famous restaurant Garama Garam has been a go-to place for food bloggers, journalists and food enthusiasts since the last three decades and has spawned many roadside eateries claiming to be the original name for offering the “famous Baripada Mudhi Mangsa”. What makes it so special, believe food trend analysts, is the special kind of castrated goat (khasi) which are fed on sal leabes and whose meat is rendered soft and ideal for a well-cooked, tender mutton curry. The puffed rice is also unique to Baripada made of Mugeishala rice, easily one of the finest exports of Mayurbhanj district.
It is this uniqueness of micro ingredients which has perhaps given rise to the hyper local trend ruling sustainable cooking and eating practices adopted worldwide today by chefs who want to reduce carbon footprints. On the trend of hyper local and growing one’s own ingredients, for my next column.
