H A U T E C U I S I N E
The New Gourmet Age
It is the advent of the food renaissance in India. Forget bok
choy, fusilli and sushi. Right now, artisanal cheese, charcuterie
meats, rare salts, pricey truffles and other exotic gourmet
products are taking over the spotlight in speciality stores all
across the country.
I
t is hard to believe that in less than
a decade we’ve gone from Chinese
cabbage being exotic to making
sushi at home.
Until a few years ago, vegetables
like iceberg lettuce, bok choy and red
peppers, fruits like kiwis and mandarins
were strange and exciting. Fusilli was
the most popular pasta shape, and if
it weren’t for the popularity of pizzas
our knowledge of cheese wouldn’t have
extended to mozzarella. Only a select
few were aware of Italian salumis like
mortadella, prosciutto or pancetta.
Balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive
oil were just about becoming common
in Italian speciality restaurants, and
most people couldn’t tell the difference
between sushi and sashimi.
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Today, you can walk into gourmet
stores like Nature’s Basket in Mumbai,
Maison des Gourmets in Chennai, and
HyperCity in Mumbai and Hyderabad,
and even delis like Indigo Deli in
Mumbai and Sunny’s in Bangalore and
pick out a range of gourmet products.
Want to make sushi at home? No
problem. Nori, mochi rice, fresh salmon,
shoyu (soy sauce), wasabi and gari
(pickled ginger) are available off the
shelf. If you want to cheat, you can even
n Charcuterie and artisanal meats have not
lagged behind. Prosciutto di San Daniele and
Prosciutto di Parma are amongst the world’s
most expensive and renowned hams that have
found an eager audience who are willing to pay
the price for the indulgence
Pata Negra, considered to
be the caviar of hams, and
produced exclusively in
Spain from black Iberian
pigs fed on a diet of
acorns for the best quality
meat, is easily available
at most gourmet stores.
It is not cheap, but that
doesn’t seem to deter the
buyers.
n Artisanal cheese manufactured following
traditional methods that are complex and
subtle in taste are flourishing
pick up aesthetically-packed, freshly-
made, ready-to-eat sushis.
Jehangir Lawyer, Managing Director
of Fortune Gourmet Specialities, best
explains the changing scenario when
he emphatically says, “India is going
through a food renaissance.” The ‘big
cheese’ of the imported cheese business,
Lawyer has been assiduously cultivating
and developing the cheese market for
over two decades. Almost every piece
of premium imported cheese has passed
through his hands, and it is largely
because of his passionate efforts that
our cheese boards have been slowly
becoming tastier.
The once ubiquitous, industrially-
produced blue bricks and cans of
Kraft cheddar and the glass bottles
of spreadable Kraft cream cheese
have more or less disappeared.
Instead, artisanal cheese manufactured
following traditional methods that are
more complex and subtle in taste are
flourishing. The range is remarkably
diverse extending far beyond famous
cheese like the French Brie and
Camembert, the Dutch Gouda and
Edam or the Swiss Gruyère and
Emmental in terms of texture, ageing
and type of milk. There are the hard
cow’s milk cheese like Parmigiano
Reggiano, Grana Padano and Pecorino
Romano (all Denominazione Di Origine
Protetta certified for authenticity and
quality), and soft ones like Ricotta,
Mozzarella, Taleggio and the smoky
tasting Scamorza. There are also soft
goat’s milk cheese like the Greek Feta
and Haloumi and the French Chevre.
Even the strong-smelling blue cheese
like Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton
and Danish Blue, and the slightly
ammoniac variety of goat’s cheese called
Chevre St Loupe are extremely popular.
Manchego, a little-known Spanish hard
cheese similar to Parmesan, is one of
the hot favourites currently, says Lawyer.
And why not try some artisanal
crackers with those artisanal cheese?
You can pair specific cheese with The
Fine Cheese Co’s range of thin, crispy,
flavoured crackers. Their Olive Oil &
Sea Salt Crackers made with extra virgin
olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt are
ideal with Parmigiano Reggiano, the
Celery Crackers with Stilton and other
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 considered to be the caviar of hams, and can be displayed and are traditionally
Even the strong- Those who can’t be produced exclusively in Spain from black associated with the gourmet world
Iberian pigs fed on a diet of acorns for is understandable. But Indians have
smelling blue cheese like bothered about how the best quality meat, is easily available at started buying and using ingredients as
Gorgonzola, Roquefort, scorched their wallets get most gourmet stores. It is not cheap, but esoteric as gourmet salts.
Stilton and Danish Blue, that doesn’t seem to deter the buyers. Fleur De Sel, or flower of salt, one
can simply pick up truffle Strangely, typical regional European of the rarest and most expensive
and the slightly ammoniac oil. The exceptionally rare meats that aren’t popular in their gourmet salts found only in very
variety of goat’s cheese fungus celebrated for its neighbouring regions are doing expensive, prestigious fine dining
restaurants can be picked up from most
called Chevre St Loupe intensely earthy flavours
particularly well in India. Porchetta, a
savoury, moist, boneless roasted pig’s gourmet stores. Hand-harvested by
are extremely popular. and normally sold by the belly stuffed with garlic, rosemary, workers in Brittany, France, this salt is
Manchego, a little-known gram is available in many fennel or other herbs, is a classic dish gently skimmed off the top layer of
Spanish hard cheese from Rome, but it has no takers in
other forms – purees, Milan in Northern Italy. Weisswurst, a
similar to Parmesan, is pastas, cheese, flour, white sausage from Munich, eaten with n There are the hard cow’s milk cheese like
one of the hot favourites. butter or even chocolates sweet mustard also typical to the region, Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano and
Pecorino Romano (all Denominazione Di Origine
can rarely be found in other parts of
stuffed with truffles. Germany.
Protetta certified for authenticity and quality),
and soft ones like Ricotta, Mozzarella, Taleggio
blue cheese, and the Chive Crackers are Spending on cheese and meats which and the smoky tasting Scamorza
the perfect accompaniment for creamy
Bries. There’s even the neutral Charcoal
Crackers that’s suitable for all types of
cheese.
Charcuterie and artisanal meats
have not lagged behind either. Salumis
like the chunky Mortadella and the
fat-dotted Salami Milano are passé.
Prosciutto di San Daniele and Prosciutto
di Parma are amongst the world’s most
expensive and renowned hams that have
found an eager audience who are willing
to pay the price for the indulgence.
Interestingly, according to Lawyer
who is the importer for both meats,
India is the second highest consumer
of Prosciutto di Parma in Asia. Even
the pricier 36-month aged Reserva
happily finds many takers. Pata Negra,

n The range available in India is remarkably

diverse extending far beyond famous cheese
like the French Brie and Camembert, the
Dutch Gouda and Edam or the Swiss Gruyère
and Emmental in terms of texture, ageing and
type of milk
n The unique Amedei range of chocolates
from Tuscany are made from the rare and
highly aromatic Criollo and Trinitario cacao
beans from South America

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 Fleur De Sel, or flower of salt, one of the rarest and
most expensive gourmet salts found only in very
expensive, prestigious fine dining restaurants can be
picked up from most gourmet stores. This salt is hand-
harvested by workers in Brittany, France.
sea salt before it sinks to the bottom
of the large salt pans. Since Fleur De
Sel lacks an aggressive salty flavour, it is
best used in a manner similar to fresh
herbs, or paired with sweets for unusual
desserts. Chenab Impex, which has the
most discerning portfolio of gourmet
products, including the crackers, imports
not just this gourmet salt, but also
variants flavoured with peppercorn,
wasabi and smoked jalapenos.
Once upon a time, extra virgin olive
oil was thought to be as exotic as you
could get with oils. Today, you can buy
extra virgin oil made from different
types of olives and from specific
regions in the Mediterranean. From
Spain itself, you can choose oils made
from arbequina olives from Lleida and
Tarragona, hojiblanca olives that come
from Lucena in Cordoba or picual olives
from Jaén. You can buy olive oils to
cook with, and olive oils to finish pastas
and salads.
Of course, there’s always the option
of skipping the conventional oils
altogether for more exotic ones like
hazelnut, walnut or avocado.
Those who can’t be bothered about
how scorched their wallets get can
simply pick up truffle oil. After all, when
you say truffles people nowadays don’t
think you’re talking about chocolate.
The exceptionally rare fungus celebrated
for its intensely earthy flavours and
normally sold by the gram is available
in many forms. Those who can’t afford
to buy a whole black Perigord truffle
84 Hi! LIVING FEBRUARY-MARCH 2010
or the white truffle from Alba can pick
up truffle purees, truffle pastas, truffle
cheese, truffle flour, truffle butter or
chocolates stuffed with truffles.
Those who love chocolate, especially
the intense dark bitter variety, are
biting into the unique Amedei range
of chocolates from Tuscany. Made
from the rare and highly aromatic
Criollo and Trinitario cacao beans
from South America, these plants are
cultivated under the supervision of the
company’s own agronomists. The result,
depending on which chocolate you
taste, is a complex bouquet of flavours
comparable with only a handful of
chocolates worldwide. And while they
are great by themselves, some of the
Amedei chocolates can be beautifully
paired with wines like a nice spicy Syrah
or a rich Barolo.
We are not yet spoilt for choice, nor
do we have a comparable variety of
gourmet products as speciality stores in
the West. But considering how far we’ve
come in such a short time, it is not
going to be long before speciality stores
in India offer you every exotic, gourmet
food you’ve ever heard of. ¨
Copy: Antoine Lewis
Photo Courtesy: Nature’s Basket, Fortune
Gourmet Specialities, Chenab Impex
n Why not try some artisanal crackers with
those artisanal cheese? You can pair specific
cheese with The Fine Cheese Co’s range of
thin, crispy, flavoured crackers. You can even
try other cheese accompaniments
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LIVING
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