How the chef in cookery shows has evolved over time reflecting the changing food habits of Indians
The “chef” is latest social media currency, adding to the list of photographer, backpackers and prefixed storytellers. The perfection of fire and agriculture technology revolutionized human civilization, and the way we consumed food. Food and the person preparing it are thus an integral part of cultures across the world. In India, they find a place in ancient mythologies in episodes such as that of Bhim disguising himself as the cook Vallabh during exile, as well as in the enduring legends of the “bawarchi” and “khaansaama” belonging to the durbars of Indian royalty from a relatively modern time. Indians have encountered the chef in many avatars: their mothers, their local street vendor, the iconic mustachioed Italian chef donning the toque blanche (white hat) on eatery menu and post the advent of satellite TV most popularly as celebrity chefs. Food and cookery shows have been a rage in the country since then, taking a whole new dimension in the internet age today. The shifts in the food being prepared, the context and setting of the shows and the cooks themselves have undergone significant changes over the past decades, indicating the evolving imagination through generations of Indian.
The Nurturing Mother in the world of Familiar Abundance
Free India with her limited state capacity faced severe food shortages in the initial decades post-independence. The PL480 was a humiliating compulsion, making India dependent on the low quality food import from the USA. The timely and well implemented “green revolution” ended this era of scarcity. The idea of Indian farms harvesting bumper produce and Indian kitchens teeming with food was aptly captured in Sanjeev Kapoor’s “Khaana Khazana”. Dressed in the signature white double breasted jacket with a perpetual smile, India’s first celebrity chef became the saving guide for a generation of Indian home makers. While the cookery show hosts in the west unleashed the power of food porn to grab eyeballs; India’s answer to Nigella Lawson was Tarla Dalal, our motherly aunt eager to help us prepare the perfect dish. The cook in the mother archetype found it’s literal manifestation in the popular show “Mummy Ka Magic” where a modern Indian mother conjured likable dishes for her hungry child. Wriggling out of the world of scarcity, the khaana khazana world of food was that of a familiar abundance.
The Globetrotter Chef preparing Well Dressed Food
The comfortable food world created by Sanjeev Kapoor and Tarla Dalal was elevated to the global gourmet scene by a wave of next generation celebrity chefs. As the world opened up for Indians, a new culinary vocabulary developed. Though hummus, pesto and ten varieties of cheese rang a bell of familiarity, chefs like Vicky Ratnani helped bridge the gap by teaching Indians how to buy, judge, pronounce, prepare and serve these newer entrants into our kitchen. While fashionable international food made its way onto our dining tables, Indian food underwent its own transformation by foraying into the world stage in a bolder and acceptable avatar. Ambassadors of Indian cuisine such as Padma Lakshmi, Anjum Anand and Vikas Khanna helped curate our country’s food for the international taste buds, while busting the unpopular myths around it. In India, this heralded the rise of the fusion cuisine where we had traditional Indian dishes being served with an international “twist”. Set in an westernized kitchen complete with the latest electronic gadget with an eye for nuanced flavour and presentation, the era of well-dressed food marked the arrival of a confident India on the world stage.
The Hard Taskmaster of Food Reality Show
Soon India had her tryst with the inevitable guilty pleasure of television; reality shows. Global franchise’s Indian adoptions such as KBC, Indian Idol and Big Boss became runaway hits; saving networks and celebrity career alike. The Masterchef phenomenon turned home kitchen into war zones and home cooks into frontline war soldiers. The palpable excitement and intensity rivalled those of the wildlife survival reality shows. Participants vying for the coveted “best cook” title worked meticulously to ensure perfection right from the ingredients, to the nuanced cooking style and inviting presentation. From being a daily chore and occasional leisure, cooking turned into an intense fiery competition.
The Backpacker Chef as the Gatekeeper of Authentic Indian Cuisine
As glamorous food trends became normalised, food shows in India, like any other “prabasi” returning home, started searching for its soul by looking inwards. A movement which consciously dug into India’s cultural heritage and living traditions to discover the authentic Indian cuisine gained momentum. People from various regions of the country started becoming ambassadors for their cuisine and taking pride in it, exemplified in the three way biryani supremacy war between Lucknow, Hyderabad and Calcutta. It was complemented by the rise of local and hyperlocal cuisine which recognized the diversity of the country by highlighting food habits of small communities, such as Bohri and Syrian Christians, and those belonging to specific socio cultural regions such as Kathiawadi or East Bengali. It unlocked the traditionally constrained idea of Indian cuisine, South Indian food was no longer idli-dosa but included appam, chettinad curries, kerala biryani and ragi mudde. The Indian chef was thus no longer confined within the four walls of a high end kitchen, but instead became the wanderer/backpacker who would hit the road in search of the local and authentic cuisine across the country. Thus Ranveer Brar in “Raja, Rasoi aur Andaaz Anokha” falls down the romantic rabbit hole of the history of Indian royal cuisines and adapts these traditional recipe for the modern taste. The idea of preserving legacy through food gave birth to the Edible Archive project, helmed by Chef Anumitra who aims to revive the fast vanishing rice strains of India. Aditya Bal in his show “Chakhle India: Kaccha Raasta” hits the road on his motorbike against the rustic charm of Indian countryside in search of the authentic meal across rural India. The viral videos of the “village grandpa” and “village cooking channel” in which villagers document their meal prep indicate the willingness of urban India to experience the real deal instead of the limited and selective idea that has been traditionally served. In this new role, chefs stand as the gatekeepers and patrons of an important cultural heritage.
Dehumanised Chef as Robotic Hands preparing Quick Fix Meals
While professional cooks in India embarked on their desi tryst, Indian cities witnessed a rising number of young professionals leading an independent life, leading a nifty life optimised by the digital services. For this new generation of home cooks, a quick, wholesome and hassle free meal which could plug into their dynamic lifestyle is ideal. Unlike the homemakers of the yore they neither have the time nor the patience to sit through half an hour of cooking tutorial. Instead, byte sized videos in a flat layout format with induction top placed against a bright background does the trick. These assembly line cooking tutorials which last only about a minute or two seem to follow the Japanese efficiency code, with the ingredients pre-cut and measured ready to be thrown into the waiting utensil. Ideas enhancing convenience such as weekly meal preparations rituals or meal replacer smoothie find willing takers in amongst these set of people. While the kitchen and the cook was the focus in the times of Sanjeev Kapoor, the digital cooking videos remove both these unnecessary elements and choose to focus on the things that matter: ingredients, utensils and human fingers, which could well be replaced by automated hands. The human is no longer a cook but the food assembler; the meal though pleasurable but is a quick fix sustenance foremost.
India has made tremendous leaps from her dire situation post indpendence in terms of food security. The fact that food shortage did not pose a major threat during the total lockdown during the pandemic is a testimony to that. And Indian cuisine which had captured the imagination of the world is coming of age, the rediscovery of her living edible archives is the best step forward. Urban India is also moving towards a conscious food consumption habit; with a refreshing emphasis on organic produce, local sourcing and fair price for farmers. Amidst such changes, a generation of young Indians seem to be taking up cooking in hope of optimising their daily life, which has come to become an enviable skill. With a Sanjeev Kapoor whipping a dalgona coffee in every home, it is a win win situation for food lovers across the world !
