On the food trail: Modern Indian cuisine
What is modern Indian cuisine, and what is it all about? These are questions I often find myself answering. Most people seem to think, it’s about fusing cuisines – that is, fusing cultures through food. Though a beautiful thought, this is only partially true. Modern Indian cuisine is not about fusing Indian food with those from other countries, but fusing indigenous ingredients and flavours with modern techniques and presentations. Of course, this also sometimes includes fusing cuisines – but that is not new to India. Indian cuisine itself is a rich fusion dating back to the time of the Buddha around 600 BC. Over the centuries, traders and invaders came from Greece, Italy, Persia, the Middle East and the Caribbean Islands. The Chinese, Arabs, Moguls, Portuguese and the British have come and gone, both giving and taking, by way of fair exchange or loot, and our Indian heritage has been enriched by the range of taste, in variety and diversity. The exchange of com...