Fusion Food has always been a debatable topic. While chefs have created culinary masterpieces infusing the best techniques of various cuisines, there has always been an underlying question about the need for it. In an exciting conversation at the Times Literature Festival 2021, the stalwarts of the Indian culinary scene came together to discuss this intriguing topic. Michelin star chef Chef Suvir Saran, celebrity chef Chef Ajay Chopra and Dr Mukta Bhargava (AVP, Catch Spices), were in conversation with Chef and author Sadaf Hussain to discuss fusion foods- a category that has long been in existence but not always in approval. The discussion also involved engaging discussions about spices, their procurement and the role that sustainability has come to play in the kitchen.
The conversation around fusion foods bordered on an enthralling debate wherein Chef Suvir vehemently opposed fusion as a category for he believed that it disrespected various cultures and didn’t let people or cuisines retain their identities with the dignity that they deserved. The melting pot, to him, was a sham that simply facilitated the loss of a singular identity. While Dr. Mukta and Chef Ajay whole heartedly supported the concept of fusion foods, the latter compared fusion to tailoring, where it becomes extremely difficult to tell two stitched cloths apart and added how the essence of food should not be lost in the process. “I can’t take mango instead of ginger and make adrak wali chai. It will taste awful,” he said.
Spices add flavour, health and quality to food. Adding on to the role that they play, Dr Mukta explained the process of procuring spices, for the source of obtaining them holds paramount importance in the process of cooking as it influences the texture, taste and appearance of the cuisine. She highlighted how, with the evolution of technology and the culinary sector, powdered spices are taking over hand-ground spices whereas Chef Suvir shared that in his professional kitchen spices are still ground to finesse manually (like the old times). Chef Ajay, on the other hand, prioritized the method of use of spices instead of the source from which they’re obtained. He firmly believes that the intricate flavours that spices lend to an ordinary dish or cuisine should be palpable, not just by taste but also by fragrance and texture. “The beauty about spicing the dish right is that you should get the whiff of all six or seven spices that you have added before taking the first bite itself,” he said.
Steering the conversation away from the warehouses to the Indian kitchens, Chef-author Sadaf pointed out the importance of sustainability in the kitchen and called it the need of the hour. Agreeing to it, Chef Suvir shared how Indians have been practising sustainable living in their lives and kitchen decades before it even became a fad. He mentioned how earlier, people used every part of vegetables or even meat judiciously in Indian cooking. They also preserved food for months and years in the form of murabbas, pickles, etc.
Adding to this, Chef Ajay said that using resources responsibly and ensuring minimal wastage in the kitchen would be the first step towards achieving sustainability at higher levels. He said that the smallest steps towards sustainability becomes a feat to achieve when one is working in a professional set-up under immense pressure, but concluded with a set conviction as to how there is no way out but to act. “When you enter professional kitchens, you are under pressure and sometimes you end up slugging. If an employee leaves the tap running while washing a pan and you go and turn it off then you might hear that he is so frugal, but then I think sustainability starts with your own self,” Chef Ajay said.
(Byline: Bhavya Sharma)
