November 25, 2013
When the BBC Good Food India magazine entered the market place, it had many detractors who suggested that the publication could not hope to reach the entire country due to the vast variety of tastes and culinary styles across India. Now, on its two year anniversary, it has been deemed an incredible success and demonstrates the exciting new world that awaits Indian cuisine and all of those who are passionate about it.
Chief Executive Officer, Tarun Rai, believes that the success of the magazine is testament to the country’s love of high quality food and exciting flavours and is a showcase for a harmonious joining of passions and palates.
“It has been an amazing journey. Two years ago we were walking into unchartered territory. There was no other magazine in the country completely focused on food,” said Rai. “We needed to have a running kitchen as all our recipes had to be tested – thrice! We needed a studio to shoot the food we cooked in the kitchen. We were told that a food magazine in India would not work because cuisines and tastes across India vary so much.
“Some suggested we needed four versions of the magazine – one for each region. But we stuck to our belief that our timing was right – that India was on the cusp of an exciting culinary journey.”
It may seem incredible to British readers that this two year old magazine was India’s first dedicated to food, when bearing in mind the passion for Indian cuisine in Britain. Tens of thousands of restaurants throughout the UK are dedicated to providing high quality Indian food to the British public, making it the one of the country’s foremost culinary delights.
But it is only in recent years, riding the wave of improving technology, that Indians have started experimenting more with different flavours and recipes. Rai continued:
“We saw a wave developing some three years ago. Indians were experimenting more, both in their kitchens and while eating out. Ingredients that were not available a few years ago were now very accessible.
“Restaurants serving cuisines from around the world were popping up and doing well. Chefs were turning into celebrities. And yes, even shows like Master Chef Australia were getting a lot of eyeballs. It certainly was the right time to launch a food magazine.”
As India and it’s habitants continue to widen their culinary horizons, it could have a great knock-on effect on the Indian cuisine available across the world.
