International cuisine is the flavour at this year’s Dasara Ahara Mela

12-day Food Festival to begin from Sept.29

Mysore:  International cuisine is the flavour that every foodie can look  forward to, apart from the tribal, State and national delicacies at this year’s 12-day Dasara Ahara Mela.

There is lot of planning and thinking that has gone into the Ahara Mela or Food Festival with the aim of introducing international cuisine. Even the stalls will reflect the standards of not only the global touch but the desi or the local dishes will tickle the taste buds.

The Food Festival will be inaugurated on Sept.29 and conclude on Oct.10. Like every year, it will be held at the Scouts and Guides Grounds near the old DC Office and on the MUDA (Mysuru Urban Development Authority) grounds close to Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel.

In all, there will be 175 stalls set up and one can look forward to tasting delicacies of one’s choice on all the 12 days.

The mind-boggling varieties of food that one can taste will come from Budakattu, Malenadu, Kodava, Tibetan, Uttara and Dakshina Karnataka, Rajasthani, Gujarati, Hyderabadi, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Mumbai, Punjabi, Kashmiri, as also international cuisine that will include the all-time favourite Chinese, Italian, French, Mexican dishes and the youth’s favourites burgers and pizzas.

The cultural city Mysuru has its own distinct food and other items that it prides on like Mysore Pak, Mysuru beetle leaves, Nanjangud Rasabale (banana), Mysore Sandal, Mysore Silk, Mysore Peta, Mysore Mallige (flower). 

There are plans to showcase all these items during the Ahara Mela. For the paan lovers, Mysore beetle leaf with gulkan will be another attraction.

Fresh items:  One of the best ways to attract a foodie to the stall, while himself or herself could be a very good cook, is to invite them to watch the dishes of choice being cooked. Since cooks from different parts of the country are taking part; one can watch them preparing the dishes and learn to cook those recipes, apart from buying and tasting it on the spot. It is not that one needs to just appreciate the delicacy but one can also learn the ingredients that go into the making of a dish.

Non-Veg Food: There is a famous funky one-liner in a meat shop that reads “Eat Meat Save Vegetables.’ Even though there is no exact statistics available as to how many people eat non-vegetarian food in the world when compared to vegetarian food, it is generally believed that nearly 80 to 85 percent people are non-vegetarians, while only 15 to 20 percent are vegetarians.

Though eating non-veg food in public is generally looked down upon in our country, the organisers of the Ahara Mela have always wisely chosen to introduce mouth-watering non-veg food items in the menu.

For instance, the non-veg bamboo biriyani speciality prepared by the Budakattu tribals has become a craze among the people and they always make a beeline to these stalls to polish off this authentic tribal food. Then there is of course the famous mouth-watering Hyderabad biriyani, chicken kababs, tandoori chicken and Karavali region’s fish meals to name a few.

Stalls: Ahara Mela will not only have food stalls but it will also focus on the way food is produced. Thus the organic, green, natural, siridhanya (millet) foods that many organic growers are leaning towards will be on display. There will also be a mega cake display at the Mela.

Different Departments to participate: The well-known institution involved in food research — CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute) — as also the other government Departments that include Women and Child Welfare and MyMUL (Mysore Milk Union Limited) will open stalls at the Mela. There will also be juice centres and exclusive coffee and tea stalls.

Priority for safety, quality: The success or failure of any Food Festival lies in its quality and safety. Hence, only after the quality and safety of the food served is ensured will it be served. The Food Inspectors will visit the stalls on a regular basis and check the food items.

Cultural programmes: The Food Festival is not just about food but there are other dimensions to it and the most important is the cultural programmes that will enliven the proceedings. On all the 12 days, there will be Janapada, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Odissi dances, Sugama Sangeetha and plays.

One more interesting feature is the preparation of exotic and unique recipes by stars of the small screen which is always an event eagerly looked forward to by the connoisseurs of food.