By Lopamudra Gogoi Bora
Well, If I ask you, “Have you ever travelled to any destination for just food?”, I know that more than the verbal answer, I would get a scoffing look and a visible question mark on your face, “Travel for just food?” Or, it might be so that your “inner you” may just knock in your brain door telling, “does she think me to be nuts? Why would I waste a whole lot of money in travel just for my taste bud! Rather I would whip a YouTube cooking video and prepare it myself.”
But let me tell you, Travel is no longer just a look around thing anymore. In fact, there is a whole new world that is being attached to travel. And “food” is considered to be the topmost attachment to travel activity now.
Gone are the days when food wasn’t at all a priority for the travel folk which was mostly to cut short the travel cost. But it isn’t a “compromise” anymore. The coin has turned upside down with food being the chasing point of travel for many travellers on the cart.
I am surprised by how people are now taking food and travel seriously and this is incessantly helping the tourism industry to bloom, together with a new concept of culinary tourism that has been gaining a good name for itself.
I had the fortune of visiting the Namphake village in Dibrugarh district of Assam a couple of months ago where the locals are hosting pop-up lunch/dinner for the people visiting the village. The dishes that were spread for our lunch were exotic food ingredients, prepared with the traditional methods that were not only mouthwatering but it demonstrated the pride and the rich culture of these indigenous people. I bet you have not tasted such a spread in recent time. To top it, the love and affection with which the food was served made it even more extraordinary.
Last week, I met a couple from Sweden who have come to India to exclusively taste the street foods of our country. Now that was really interesting and I learnt at that moment how food has become an integral part of travel. The couple, having tasted the street food of Indore (Indore boasted of being the street food capital of India), Bhopal and Delhi, are now on a spree to experience the charismatic food cultures of west and South India before heading to the North East.
Well, I insisted them not to miss out on the roadside momo stalls in Shillong sold by the Khasi kongs while in the North East and yes the Jadoh!
My own intention of travelling to Delhi has been always coaxed by the idea of food (beside the other business of course). Whenever I am in the capital, I make sure that indulging in some of the celebrated street foods are not skipped from my itinerary. The best golgappa I have ever tasted was from a small vendor at Lajpat Nagar. The bliss is still difficult for me to resist when the crispy sweet-salty golgappas just melted in the mouth leaving a tangy flavor to relish. Chandni Chowk is another heaven for the street food lovers in Delhi. The Dahi Bhalle of Natraj, samosa cholle, dahi chats, aloo chats, ram ladoo, rabri faluda, kebabs etc. are simply exotic experiences.
Coming to the west, the one utterly worshiped street food in Maharashtra is the famous vada pao. The popularity of this specialty is such that even documentaries have been made on it. From the poorer section to the upper section, vada pao can be called one of the lifelines of the city. It is also called the Indian version of the burger. The pao (bread bun half sliced in the middle) is stuffed with a deep fried potato dumpling accompanied with chutneys and deep fried green chillies which is quite a good filler to the stomach besides being a tasty option.
Another fast food delicacy of Mumbai is the pao bhaji. When you are at the Juhu beach, pao bhaji stalls will amaze you with its variety and popularity among the locals and also among the tourists. The gola is another thing to relish here. Ice dipped in cola juice makes up for the perfect saver in hot weather.
Hence the list of street foods of India goes on and on. Every state has its unique way to fill the stomach. The street foods represent the tradition and lineage of India’s rich food culture and heritage. And we must make sure that this tradition continues to the generations to come.
Being a traveler, when you know the food culture of the destination you are travelling to, it makes the matter more palatable. Every food plate varies from place to place and as travellers we must be open to savor the flavor of each destination. It is through respecting the local traditions only we can enjoy and understand the true value of a travel undertaking.
(The author is a Mumbai-based travel blogger and costume stylist)