Dinner at the launch of Godrej Food Trends Report (GFTR) 2023, held recently in Mumbai, featured multi-millet shahi tukda topped with mango and vanilla bean ice cream. Guests also dined on ragi buttermilk soup and nachni mille feuille. With United National General Assembly declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets, GFTR’s sixth edition put the spotlight on the enduring magic of this hardy and nutritious crop.
The Godrej Foods Trends Report 2023 brings over 350 food professionals, including chefs, home cooks, mixologists, food producers, nutritionists, sommeliers and bloggers from across the country to share their expertise. Curated by Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, it features a variety of voices from culinary anthropologist Dr Kurush Dalal to celebrated chef Manish Mehrotra, of Indian Accent Restaurants, and restaurateur Sameer Seth, co-founder at The Hunger INC, which runs Bombay Canteen.
Rushina, who has been curating the report all these years says they reached out to more people across the country this year in an attempt to be more inclusive. “Our regional perspective section has tried to cover as much of the country as we could. Also, this time we have equal, if not more, women representatives than before,” she states, adding that the latter was important for her as food industry in India does not give women enough recognition. She adds that more than 300 people responded across different verticals of the industry pan India.”
One of the first trends that the report foresees is about the recognition of this country as an Atlas of food. Over the years, the notion that Indian cuisine is a monolith has slowly been dismantled with people across the world discovering the diversity and nuances of the cuisine.
“Over the last five editions, the focus has been on regional and hyper-regional cuisine. For example, Maharashtrian cuisine’s Koli, Konkani, Pathare Prabhu and more. Micro level and community level cuisines are being explored. With everyone cooking at home during the pandemic, we started exploring cuisines other than our own and realised we all eat dal across different regions. They are just cooked differently,” says Rushina.
The report predicts a greater proliferation of collaborative pop-ups, which will in turn lead to new ideas, themes, cuisines and formats. And if you are seeing a lot more mushrooms in restaurant dishes, it’s because the world of mushrooms is expanding with the inclusion of different varieties on vegetarian, vegan and plant-based menus.
Whether in classic or re-invented avatars, everyone from home chefs to small businesses are likely to offer foods and flavours to take you on a nostalgia-filled journey over the coming year. Indian-made artisanal cheese will shine with the focus being on Topli paneer, Kalari, Chhurpi and Bandel while there will also be a resurgence in traditional, regional oils.
The report also says that the demand for pan-ready, high-on-flavour snacks is expected to increase with convenience and taste being the driving factors. A domino effect of this quest for snacks will also push a demand for sauces, dips and condiments.
Health-conscious consumers will drive the interest for yoghurt and whey-based beverages. The same goes for desserts and 2023 will see diners gravitating towards mindful and portion-controlled indulgences. Single-portion sweets are also expected to cross over into snacking.
“Across snacks — healthy or otherwise — there is an explosion of flavours and ingredients. Even my local potato chips seller is bringing out Amritsari Chole Masala and Pani Puri masala flavours,” says Rushina. She adds, “There are multi-grain chips and chips made out of root vegetables. You will see this explosion of flavours across categories such as masala peanuts, makhana, samosas and cutlets. Any kind of preference, whether diet or flavour related is going to manifest. If there is a demand for it, someone will supply it.”
