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The rise of Indian cuisine in the US is not just a trend but a cultural shift, with social media acting as a catalyst
When famous US-based Indian chef and restaurateur Vikas Khanna entered the Patel Brothers grocery store in the US this August, what he saw next “shocked” him, reported indiatoday.in. The store that evening was filled with white Americans. This was surprising because Americans were buying Indian spices and ingredients from an Indian grocery store in the US. An American woman recognised Vikas Khanna and came to talk to him. Others followed. They asked him, “What is the easiest way to use Indian curry powder?” Another person asked the Michelin-star chef, “How can I cook Indian food more easily?”
“This is not a moment for Indian cuisine. It is a huge movement,” Vikas Khanna told IndiaToday.in.
On another evening, half a century ago, Mafat Patel, an Indian immigrant to the US, had started missing India and Indian food after returning from college. He missed the aroma of the spices and the texture of the well-cooked khichdi.
Mafat discussed this with his fellow Indian friends, and they agreed that they too missed the aroma of home-cooked food.
The US-based Indian student knew he could not get home to satiate his cravings, but he knew he could bring Indian ingredients to the US. He decided to open a grocery store, and it would be famously known for the decades to come as: Patel Brothers.
The first Patel Brothers store came up in Chicago in 1974.
Many such stores would come up in the US with a steady flow of Indian immigrants in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The stores would open because their owners missed their home country and its food in a foreign land. People from the Indian subcontinent would readily buy Indian groceries and products from these stores.
Slowly, these mom-and-pop stores branched out and opened chains across the US.
Now, they are a commonplace across the US and Indians love their spices like turmeric, cumin seeds, green and black cardamom from these stores.
But Americans had mostly stayed away from these stores and Indian cuisine. That is what is changing now and surprising even celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, who has seen the transformation there for more than two decades now.
“Now, more Americans are seen in these grocery stores than ever. At least five to six Americans visit our shop daily. The number goes up over the weekends.” Hardial Rana of Allston Market in Allston, Massachusetts, told IndiaToday.In.
Set up to cater to Indians, the grocery stores in the US are now changing the palettes of Americans by making Indian ingredients and ready-to-eat meals handy.
Grocery stores like Patel Brothers, Triveni Supermarket, India Bazaar and Spice Bazaar are not just favourites with Indians any more. Americans are also frequenting them and several reports suggest that the sale of Indian food products is on the rise in the US.
The expansion of these stores aligns with the booming ethnic food market in the US, which includes Indian cuisine. This market is projected to grow from $40.8 billion in 2022 to $66.9 billion by 2027, according to The Food Institute. Stores like India Bazaar in Dallas are also diversifying their offerings with gluten-free and organic products, attracting health-conscious consumers beyond the South Asian community.
The reason behind this new-found love of Americans are the biggest champions of Indian food in the US. The chefs, the food writers and the influencers.
“The prominence of Indian chefs, food writers, internet bloggers play a huge role in bringing Indian ingredients and food to the forefront in the US,” chef Vikas Khanna told IndiaToday.in.
These champions of Indian food also visit Patel Brothers quite often and share their prized purchases on social media.
“There has been a proud and loud wave of Desism. It is very powerful. When I came to the US 25 years ago, not many Americans wanted to try Indian cuisine. Now I see, American food bloggers also take up Indian food, this gives Indian cuisine a much larger reach,” said Khanna.
When these chefs, writers, influencers introduce an ingredient, the “foreign” ingredients become much more acceptable to their followers.
Americans are proclaiming their newfound love for Indian ingredients on social media platforms.
“I love that we have the ability to support a diverse array of businesses like the Patel Brothers grocery store. And currently we have two Indian grocery stores! And you can walk between them!” wrote a Reddit user on a post appreciating the store.
In the story of Patel Brothers is the story of the origin of Indian grocery stores in the US and their growth.
From the first store in 1974, Patel Brothers opened 52 outlets in 20 American states. Six more stores are coming up.
They sell all Indian and South Asian ingredients. Their mission is “to bring the best ingredients from South Asia, right to your doorstep. With a wide variety of authentic regional grocery and spice products, we strive to reconnect people with the familiar flavours of India”, stated the Patel Brothers website.
Another famous grocery store, Triveni Supermarket, has Indian groceries, spices and even prepared Indian meals. They define themselves as a leading South Asian shopping store for premium groceries, spices, and they also have an in-house bakery.
Triveni is already present or is planning stores across Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, reports the Charlotte Observer.
The expansion of such outlets must be seen against the backdrop of a rising ethnic food market, including Indian cuisine, which is now set to grow from $40.8 billion in 2022 to $66.9 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.6% during this time period, according to The Food Institute.
A Dallas-based grocery store, India Bazaar, has come up with gluten-free bhakri (a Gujarati snack), organic lentils, and vermicelli tooba. This also helps to bring in not just South Asian customers, but a wider range of health-conscious buyers interested in South Asian food products, according to a report by The New York Times.
“It became like a catalyst effect. Now, I see so many people who did not earlier understand the significance of Indian cuisine. Now, they do, and cook it. It makes me so proud. Social media has played an important role here,” Chef Vikas Khanna tells IndiaToday.In.
It all began when Indian chefs came into the mainstream.