Global cues, local palate

International food trends don’t always resonate in Hyderabad, say restaurateurs, discussing what’s in store for 2015.

Mini dessert shots. Photo: Vishnupriya Bhandaram

In summer of 2014, we learnt to eat desserts from a jar. A spoonful of tiramisu or mousse seemed fancier when it came out of a glass jar, layered with fruits, sauce, chocolate shavings or anything that befit the dessert. This year, we’ll see dessert shots, served in small glasses. International chefs, food bloggers and industry watchers have been forking out trends for 2015, in which dessert shots find a place. Food trends are pointers to gauge what will be served on our plates. To what extent will these trends hold good for us?

Take a look at some of the international trends for the year:

Eat local: We’ve been hearing this of late — eat local produce for sustainable living; bring back ancient grains (millets, in our case) to the table, with an emphasis on sprouting the grains and fermenting vegetables. Kimchi salad is hugely popular internationally, but local seasonal vegetables can also be fermented to get the best out of them.

Artisan breads: White bread still gets the stick and plain whole wheat flour can get boring. Think breads with pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach or a variety of herbs. Sourdough breads will gain acceptance. Of course, these breads will cost more.

Seaweeds and insects: More of these will find their way into mainstream food, globally.

Go Gobi! The humble gobi or cauliflower is pitched to reign — cauliflower rice and cauliflower mash as opposed to mashed potatoes, for instance.

The others: Japanese matcha green tea, flavoured salts and honey, Ramen noodles, bitter flavours in desserts and savouries. All day breakfasts will find their place in more café menus and food trucks will gain popularity.

Some of these trends will trickle down to the city and others won’t. Chef and restaurateur Shankar Krishnamurthy of Fusion 9, who has been in the industry for 35 years, has his eyes on international trends but feels these have to be adapted according to local sensibilities. “The ground level reality is different. When I opened my café and restaurant 10 years ago, Hyderabad was eager to evolve with the changing food scenario. Today Bangalore is far ahead. We introduced the ‘cronut’ (croissant- donut pastry) a month after it became a rage internationally. Even for artisan breads, the clientele is small,” he says.

Shankar predicts more acceptance for Indian fusion and South East Asian cuisine. “Hot and sweet is preferred globally, which explains the rise of South East Asian cuisines. We are a nation that loves Indian and Chinese cuisines, but the younger crowd in Hyderabad appreciates Thai, Japanese and Korean cuisines,” he says.

Innovation, feels Shankar, is easier when catering to private gatherings, to a well-travelled clientele that’s open to innovation, rather than through restaurant menus. He also feels diners in their 20s, in tune with international food shows on television, will bring in change and menus can be manoeuvred to cater to this age group.

Restaurateur Vikas Passary of Little Italy and So, concurs that the city has plenty of catching up to do. “There is a small and growing clientele that looks for innovation. I’ve learnt to incorporate new things without harping on it. When we introduced a North Indian menu at So, I was keen to not use artificial food colours. It wouldn’t make business sense to declare it in the menu because there are people who feel the food may not taste good without additives. The change in the way we look at food has to begin at home — using whole grain flour in place of corn flour, avoiding food colours and MSGs.”

Patisseries have also witnessed a churn in the city. Macaroons and mini cup cakes fight for attention with time tested chocolate cakes. If global cues have a bearing on our desserts, we can expect new flavours. We’ll also get to eat almond flour brownies and cakes. Says Mehnaaz of Labonel, “There was a time when Hyderabad was apprehensive to try something new. Chocolate will remain a favourite, but now many ask for new flavours and concepts. There are special requests for gluten-free cakes, which sometimes use almond flour.”