Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | NXg | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Photo: Sampath Kumar G. P.

Have a bite I could eat an American pear for hours

“Kids get bored of eating the regular idli-dosa, dal-chawal, roti-sabzi and I get bored of cooking it. This way I also get them to eat vegetables,” says Rao. There are many who echo Rao’s sentiments, phenomenally pushing up the consumption of exotic fruits and vegetables. The boom in the food market has led to an increase in the consumption of avocados, artichokes, zucchini, broccoli, iceberg lettuce, Chinese cabbage, asparagus and, Washington apples, Fuji apples, Californian grapes. “Customers want to eat a variety of fruits. These foreign fruits are attractive. I sell imported fruits worth Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 60,000 everyday,” says Abdul Tabrez, a fruit merchant at Russell Market.

Until two years ago, Siraj Ahmad, a wholesale dealer of vegetables at Russell Market would sell 50 kilos of foreign vegetables but now he sells anywhere between 200 to 300 kg per day. “A big portion of this produce is consumed by hotels. Everyday, I get about ten customers buying these vegetables. Asparagus is Rs. 300 per kg. Yet, customers buy it in small quantities,” explains Ahmad.

The foodscape of Bangalore is choc-a-bloc with restaurants of each and every kind of cuisine. The discerning well-travelled foodie who doesn’t mind emptying his pockets to pamper his taste buds. “The number of diners and willing to experiment with food has gone up. In Bangalore, the increase in the number of corporate clients, foreign delegations, and the IT industry has forced us to use these vegetables more. We have tandoori cauliflower but to suit the taste of a foreign guest we now also have tandoori broccoli,” says Chef Nirmal Kumar, a senior chef with the BJN group. He says the most commonly used exotic vegetables across Indian restaurants are broccoli and colourful bell peppers. “The boom has led us to innovate and integrate these vegetables in our usual preparations. And since most of these are being grown right here, they can’t be called exotic anymore,” jokes Chef Nirmal. Most of these vegetables are being grown in parts of Maharashtra, Ooty, Bidadi, and Hennur in Karnataka.

The boom has also done away with the concept of off-season vegetables and fruits. All the vegetables and fruits are available throughout the year. “Even though the off-season oranges are slightly bitter, customers still ask for orange juice,” says Keerthana of Pure and Natural Salad Bar. “People expect availability of non-seasonal fruits. Best example would be grapes and pears. We import them from round the globe to meet demands,” says Sunil Avari, General Manager, Namdhari’s Fresh, a producer, exporter and retailer of vegetables and fruits.

Whatever happened to the whole idea of eating fresh fruits and vegetables? It is a norm for working couples to do their grocery shopping once a week. Perishables that have already travelled some distance are bought and stored again in refrigerators. But it’s not all that bad, says nutritionist Sheela Krishnaswamy. “Eating fresh is ideal. But keeping in mind our lifestyles, eating fruits and vegetables stored for long or deep frozen, like peas, is better as compared to ready-to-eat food,”

But does it have a bearing on our environment? Environmentalist Akshay Heblikar of Ecowatch says, “By growing exotic vegetables and fruits we are tampering with the fertility of the soil.”

Dragon Fruit is the costliest fruit priced anywhere between Rs. 400 and Rs. 500 per kg, followed by California plums (Rs. 300 per kg) and Kiwi fruit (Rs. 275 per kg)

Japanese Persimmon is another favourite. It looks just like a tomato, without seeds and tastes as sweet as honey

While green asparagus has become a common sight, white asparagus hasn’t invaded our markets

Chinese green Pak Choi and Chinese cabbage that is used extensively in Chinese cuisine is getting popular in the average kitchen

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail