Indian food is scientifically delicious

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Scientists have figured out what makes Indian food so delicious

Researchers have data crunched 2,500 recipes and found the secret to their success.

Indian food, with its hodgepodge of ingredients and intoxicating aromas, is coveted around the world. The labor-intensive cuisine and its mix of spices is more often than not a revelation for those who sit down to eat it for the first time. Heavy doses of cardamom, cayenne, tamarind and other flavors can overwhelm an unfamiliar palate. Together, they help form the pillars of what tastes so good to so many people.

But behind the appeal of Indian food — what makes it so novel and so delicious — is also a stranger and subtler truth. In a large new analysis of more than 2,000 popular recipes, data scientists have discovered perhaps the key reason why Indian food tastes so unique: It does something radical with flavors, something very different from what we tend to do in the United States and the rest of Western culture. And it does it at the molecular level.

Read the full article here : wsj.com

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Why delicious Indian food is surprisingly unpopular in the U.S.

I've often thought about this. Indian food has been reduced to putting color in the curry and naming restaurants as Taj Mahal. Also I feel there aren't enough meat choices for Americans in Indian food.

The answer, according to Ray, likely has to do with a certain lack of appreciation for the skill required to make Indian food. The cuisine is among the most labor intensive in the world. And yet Americans are unwilling to pay beyond a certain, and decidedly low, price point. Indian food, in other words, is cheap food in the eyes of many Americans. And that has all kinds of repercussions that have stunted the cuisine's growth, at least on a commercial level.



read the full article here.. LINK

[Napolean]

sqars , in that chart , Asian excludes indian and includes everything else asian. For example , chinese,thai,persian,afghan etc all come in Asian. If you see in that chart , only Mexican part is huge. Other single country cuisines are still small.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Who can even tell difference between thai, vietnamese, chinese and japanese food? all sem sem bhaya.. if someone tells me they from Vietnam or Malaysia or Indonesia I have to go by their word, same with the food.

P.S. btw, I posted this not sgars. my profile pic making you think its him.. have to change it now. LOL

[Napolean]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

P.S. btw, I posted this not sgars. my profile pic making you think its him.. have to change it now. LOL

aisa kaise ho gaya - I think I am sleepy. I should take a nap now.

[Sane Less]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

Who can even tell difference between thai, vietnamese, chinese and japanese food? all sem sem bhaya.. if someone tells me they from Vietnam or Malaysia or Indonesia I have to go by their word, same with the food.
...

What are you talking about Agree about looks (though you can make a very good guestimate) but food The food is so distinctive that there is no way one can make a mistake.

[Aashika]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

Who can even tell difference between thai, vietnamese, chinese and japanese food? all sem sem bhaya.. if someone tells me they from Vietnam or Malaysia or Indonesia I have to go by their word, same with the food.

P.S. btw, I posted this not sgars. my profile pic making you think its him.. have to change it now. LOL

I cannot tell by looks if they are Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese but food I can. I wonder why people choose mexican over indian food.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Originally Posted by Aashika

I cannot tell by looks if they are Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese but food I can. I wonder why people choose mexican over indian food.

Many many more mexicans/south americans in US than Indians.

Also, I feel Indian food is not exactly hand food so hasn't taken off in the fast food business. I had some ideas about what Indian fast food can be delivered through the drive-thru.. needs elaborate cooking and time. Not very feasible, not many dishes with red meats ham, beef, etc

[Aashika]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

Many many more mexicans/south americans in US than Indians.

Also, I feel Indian food is not exactly hand food so hasn't taken off in the fast food business. I had some ideas about what Indian fast food can be delivered through the drive-thru.. needs elaborate cooking and time. Not very feasible, not many dishes with red meats ham, beef, etc

Ya, drive through Indian food maybe very hard unless we are looking at making everything in advance and just do the assembly. Something like batura should take about the same time to deep fry the actual fries take.

[sgars]

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

Who can even tell difference between thai, vietnamese, chinese and japanese food? all sem sem bhaya.. if someone tells me they from Vietnam or Malaysia or Indonesia I have to go by their word, same with the food.

P.S. btw, I posted this not sgars. my profile pic making you think its him.. have to change it now. LOL

Not only that, your posting in in my Budhau memories forum might also have led to that

Anyways, coming back to the spend, the pie chart on spend does not necessarily show that Indian fod is 'Cheap'.
example, there are 100 restaurants in a town and only 2 are Indian. suppose the total restaurant spend on the town is $25 Million and only $1 Million is spend on Indian Restaurants. it still indicates that the average spend on Indian restaurants is double that of others.

[Aashika]

I dont know about other places but where I live, Indian food is expensive compared to others. For example, for $10 you will get an excellent lunch (salad and a main). If you want the starter and a main course Indian food, you are looking at $15 to $18.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

Buffet is always cheaper compared to A la carte. There are very few desi restaurants that have a buffet costing more than 10-12 bucks in any US city. Now for dinner (A la carte) one can easily expect to pay 15-20 per head.

Thai food is generally quite costly as well, Chinese is cheap (cheap cost and quality), Japanese food in a proper restaurant can be 20-30 per head.

[sgars]

Originally Posted by Aashika

I dont know about other places but where I live, Indian food is expensive compared to others. For example, for $10 you will get an excellent lunch (salad and a main). If you want the starter and a main course Indian food, you are looking at $15 to $18.

Originally Posted by sarv_shaktimaan

Buffet is always cheaper compared to A la carte. There are very few desi restaurants that have a buffet costing more than 10-12 bucks in any US city. Now for dinner (A la carte) one can easily expect to pay 15-20 per head.

Thai food is generally quite costly as well, Chinese is cheap (cheap cost and quality), Japanese food in a proper restaurant can be 20-30 per head.

Thats what i was saying. The pie chart is misleading. However, the author does mention that it is difficult for restaurants to sell more expensive items. i am not sure how it works for other cuisines, because i rarely spend so much in a restaurant! Perhaps thats the problem. The Japs may spend a lot in a Japanese restaurant, but Desis would not spend a lot in an Indian restaurant.

[Aashika]

Originally Posted by sgars

The Japs may spend a lot in a Japanese restaurant, but Desis would not spend a lot in an Indian restaurant.

Not really, it would depend on the kind of restaurant you are going to. Even in Indian restaurants, there are certain places where you are looking to pay $40-$50 per person for food alone. I think it depends on the taste and the quality too.

But I think I get your point.

[sarv_shaktimaan]

I am told its the quite opposite in England where people like Indian food much more and even cook it a bit. This Brit who was invited to dinner at my home in India last year learnt how to cook lentils (dal) from my mom, said he loved Indian cuisine but wanted to control the spice level when he was cooking.

From the 2nd article..

"There's a real problem on the demand side," said Ray. "People aren't willing to pay for good Indian food. If you aren't willing to pay for it, you won't get quality. And if you don't get quality, it's hard to grow. The whole system has forced a lot of restaurants to rely on less skilled workers and cooks."

While it's hard to prove that Indian restaurants are employing lower skilled workers, it seems fair to assume that people aren't willing to pay beyond a certain threshold. Ray calls it the $30 dollar threshold, because Indian restaurants have a hard time selling dinners that cost more than that, even when the labor, rent, and food costs suggest they should.

A perfect example of a restaurant that had trouble selling pricier Indian fare played out at Tabla, Danny Meyer's contemporary Indian restaurant in New York City, which was forced to close in 2010 after realizing that upscale Indian simply wasn't sustainable.

"We fought valiantly for nearly 13 years trying to fill 280 seats with food that is tightly focused,” Meyer told the New York Times at the time. "I’ve never closed a restaurant before."