Confederation of Indian Industry Globalizing Indian Traditional Food Ministry of Food Processing Industries Government of India
Indian Traditional Food The Indian Food Culture is exceptionally vast and diverse. The food habits, cooking style, use of ingredients and even the means of serving and presenting exorbitantly vary across the states, however the one fact that remains common to all is the love for food. The Indian traditional food is a vivid mixture of art and science. While the food provides a sumptuous taste, the ingredients capture the nutritional aspect of providing healthy and wholesome food. The rich and diverse range of herbs and spices produced in India only contribute to taste but also play an important role in providing health benefits India is also home to several millets which have traditionally been processed to make flour, but given the nutrient composition of these millets, food processing players are trying to integrate these millets as key ingredient into breads, biscuits, cookies, savories and snacks. Millets can also be used to prepare noodles, pasta, soup sticks and pizza bases. With changing times, the concept of food has also evolved in India. While the consumers still want to have the same wholesome traditional food, the preparation time is limited. This has led to numerous innovations and improvisations on how the same Indian traditional food can be made quicker and easier.
Ready to Cook/Ready to Eat food with numerous variants of lentils, rice, biryani, parathas, idli (cakes made by steaming a batter consisting of fermented black lentils and rice) and dosa (dosa is a type of pancake made from a fermented batter. It is somewhat similar to a crepe in appearance) have emerged as a new category that is growing exponentially in India. Ready to Cook/Ready to Eat/ Instant mixes of Indian traditional food has also found numerous takers outside the country, not only from the Indian diaspora but also the other lovers of Indian food. Entrepreneurs are looking at the Indian traditional food as a big opportunity. Innovations in taste, packaging, fusion food, increasing shelf life and reaching out to new global food lovers is the current trend. Indian Traditional Food and its Global Outreach Today traditional food is changing the consumers outlook towards itself. Once largely sold through street outlets in loose form, today traditional food is sold in well packaged, well presented forms at hi-end restaurants and outlets. Some of the key brands that have helped positioning the Indian traditional food across the globe include ITCs Kitchens of India, Bikanervala, Haldirams, MTR amongst others. These brands are largely into ready to cook/ ready to eat segment and have reached out to the globe with Indian traditional food. Ready to eat products like kebabs, biryani, chana, pongal, chicken curries, paneer curries, namkeens and savories have already reached out to various countries and are immensely popular in UK, Canada, Middle East and USA.
The Indian Diaspora has played a vital role in popularizing the traditional Indian foods as they carried the food habits with them wherever they went. Increasing ease for movement of goods has made it easy to access Indian food stuff, resulting in increase in exports from India to counties with large Indian diaspora presence. This has also led to several innovations taking place to increase the shelf life of products (through preservation or packaging) and also easing out the cooking practices through Ready to Eat and Ready to Cook products. The Indian brands have today reached out to many kitchens in the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, Japan, South East Asian countries amongst others From street stalls to cafeterias to Michelin-starred restaurants, Indian food and ingredients have made inroads at every level on the larger gastronomical map. Indian Traditional Food Ingredients and Their Potential to Go Global The range of Indian traditional food and its ingredients is diverse. Most of the traditional ingredients are well known to have impacted the human health positively. Today, many of these have emerged as superfoods which are being accepted globally. There lies immense opportunity to garner these traditional food and present to the world a healthier culinary option. Gooseberry or Amla is among the healthiest food due to its high nutrient content. It is a rich source of antioxidants, iron, vitamin A, C, fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc. It is effective in preventing cancer or tumor cell growth. It also improves eye health, improves hair luster, skin and anemia. Today amla is finding extensive usage in health juices and drinks. India produces around 1 Mn MT of gooseberry annually.
Jowar/Sorghum: Belonging to the millet family, this grain has unique health benefits for humans. When compared to rice and wheat, Sorghum has a higher content of calcium. Besides calcium, it is also packed with iron, protein and fibre. Moreover, jowar is gluten free. The millet presently finds its usage in multigrain flours, breads and cookies and can be further used to prepare pizza bases, burgers, bakery products etc. Turmeric is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium. Its incredible list of healing properties include antioxidant, antiviral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-carcinogenic, anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory. India produces around 1 Mn MT of Turmeric annually. Golden milk or turmeric latte a combination of nut milk and juiced turmeric root is becoming one of the most sought after drink in many countries. Turmeric is also becoming a sought after produce for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic industry due to its active ingredient Curcumin.
Moringa is one of the most nutrient-rich plants in the world. It is a rich source of iron, vitamin A & vitamin K, vitamin E, calcium & magnesium. Moringa also has one of the highest antioxidant contents of any food. One of the best moringa benefits is its super immune-boosting powers. Maintaining a healthy immune system is essential for helping our bodies stay off infections and illnesses. Ghee/Clarified butter has been used in India for thousands of years. Today it is being considered as a superfood globally. Ghee is rich in antioxidants and essential fatty acids which protect the body from various diseases, improve absorption of fat soluble nutrients, nourish and lubricate the joints, and improve memory. Ghee finds its usage as a cooking medium for sauté, glazing and frying. It is now available on global online platforms as well, due to its growing demand across countries and populace.
Tamarind is an antibacterial agent and takes care of the heart by diminishing the bad cholesterol level. It is also said to obstruct kidney stone formation and therefore, acts as a medicine for stone sufferers. Tamarind has been an integral part of the Indian traditional food especially in south India. It now finds its usage extensively in candies, sauces and dressings. India produces around 194,000 MT of Tamarind annually. Ragi (finger millet) is high in protein and minerals in comparison to most other cereals and millets. It contains important amino acids isoleucine, leucine, methionine and phenyl alanine which are not present in other starchy meals. Also it is a very rich source of calcium and potassium. Low in fat and gluten free, ragi is easy to digest. It is for that reason, given as first food to babies in the form of porridge. Ragi is today being used as an ingredient in various value snacks and savories to add the healthy element to food. Ragi can be used as an ingredient for Indian traditional food like idli, dosa, upma, and also for products like noodles, pasta, vermicelli, snacks and savories. Ragi has immence potential to be used as an ingredient in the infant food segment.
Contact Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India Tel: +91-11-26492216/ 26492174/ 26493227/ 26490933 Email: miiweekfpi@gov.in Web: www.mofpi.nic.in YES BANK Ltd. Tel: +91-11-46029071 Email: fasar@yesbank.in Web: www.yesbank.in Confederation of Indian Industry Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Tel: +91-11-46344614 Email: miiw.fpi@cii.in Web: www.cii.in