An apricot and nectarine chaat with anardana chutney, drizzled with Greek extra-virgin olive oil and German honey, set the tone for Shared Tables, Shared Stories – an afternoon celebrating the coming together of European ingredients and Indian flavours.
Pan-seared potato terrine with tomato salsa vierge by Chef Ajay Chopra
Hosted as part of the European Union’s More Than Food campaign, the afternoon was about shared love for food between India and the 27 EU member states. It featured the launch of A Taste Of Home With EU Tadka, a cookbook celebrating the reinterpretation of familiar Indian flavours using European ingredients. Alongside, a storytelling-led gastronomic experience, curated by campaign ambassadors chef Ajay Chopra and chef Guntas Sethi, was served. The spread included dishes like a pan-seared potato terrine with tomato salsa vierge prepared with European ingredients, like Italian Toscano produce, Danish butter and French shallots.
Chefs Ajay Chopra, Guntas Sethi and Chef Rakhee Vaswani
Apricot & nectarine chaat by Chef Ajay Chopra
Chef Ajay Chopra, EU’s More Than Food Ambassador
Chef Guntas Sethi, EU’s More Than Food Ambassador
The event brought together foodies and chefs, including chefs Rakhee Vaswani and Sougata Ghosh, who have also contributed to the cookbook. The experience allowed guests to relish EU products across dairy, meat, olive oil, honey and fresh produce, labelled as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
Amit Lohani, Founder and Director of Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI) and Chef Sougata Ghosh seen going through the book that was launched at the event, titled A Taste Of Home With EU Tadka
Gurpreet Singh Tikku and Chef Sabyasachi Gorai enjoying chicken roulade
‘Ingredients can completely change how you imagine flavour’“I was nostalgic entering the kitchen where I started my culinary journey 23 years ago,” said Ajay, before he began talking about the importance of quality ingredients. He added, “Great restaurants are where a chef spends close to 30 per cent of his time just checking his produce because that’s the basis of everything and anything they cook. With ingredients come along stories, culture, heritage, technology, and the sustainability quotient. There’s so much more than just an ingredient presented to you. Like the EU, we need to start taking a lot of pride in our food because that actually has a lot of authenticity and value attached to it.”Inspired by childhood memories, Guntas made chikki fudge cake, using dark chocolate from Belgium, whipping cream from France and butter from Denmark. Elaborating on the eclectic mix, Guntas said, “Ingredients can change how you imagine flavour. Through this event, we celebrated the shared language of food by bringing together European ingredients and Indian culinary creativity in an accessible and relatable way.”
Chikki fudge cake by Chef Guntas Sethi
