India’s mouth-watering curries have taken the world by storm! The ardent fan-following that Indian food enjoys in Britain has made its way to France on Saturday in a unique way.
India’s mouth-watering curries have taken the world by storm! That is a given. But how much the cravings for spicy Indian food is there among Britishers, has never really been mapped. Well, here is a pointer. The ardent fan-following that Indian food enjoys in Britain has made its way to France on Saturday in a unique way. According to a report by Hindustan Times, an Indian restaurant in Portsmouth delivered mouth-watering dishes to an airfield in Bordeaux to satisfy the taste buds of the British expatriates who just were not happy with the French fare available despite its high reputation.
James Emery, 31, who lives in the Bordeaux area, then organised the long-distance delivery with Faz Ahmed, the manager of the Akash restaurant in Southsea, Hampshire. The unique food delivery had a total of 89 meals, 70 side dishes, 75 portions of rice, 100 papads (better known as poppadoms in Britain) and mango chutney. And the food was delivered from the Portsmouth restaurant at a charge of around 32 pounds per head. The menu has a choice of four curries namely Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Balti, Bangal Naga Chicken and the vegetarian Paneer Korai.
The consignment on Saturday was flown in a six-seater Socata TBM700 aircraft from the Solent Airport in Lee-On-The-Solent to the Saucats Airfield in Bordeaux. The food cooked at Akash was packaged and delivered to France via the six-seater plane. It was reheated in Bordeaux by James and his mates – both British and French – who planned to have a celebratory meal in the aircraft hangar.
Emery, who loves Indian curries, said he thought of the idea after complaining about the availability of bland Indian food in France. “I have been getting withdrawal symptoms,” said Emery. He added, “I am a chilli addict and an aviation geek so I thought I would combine my two hobbies to get my favourite meal delivered to me in France”.
Meanwhile, Faz Ahmed said that the unique way of delivery was something the restaurant was thinking for a long time. “We have done nothing like this. Our delivery radius is three to four miles and we are doing 500 miles, so it is something to be proud of,” Faz was quoted as saying by HT.
In Britain, the Indian dish of Chicken Tikka Masala was endowed with the status of the country’s national dish by former foreign secretary Robin Cook.
