CATEGORIES
MAKING MERRY WITH MILK
Human being is the only mammal who drinks the milk of another mammal and this drink is most pleasurable at a cold temperature when the mercury rises.
A Perfectionist with Eye on Technique and Precision!
Surendra Negi, Master Patissier, Taj Palace New Delhi
Living it up at the Café!
Cafes are no longer places where one goes to have a cup of coffee. It has become a meeting place for friends and colleagues. With the introduction of Wi-Fi, in most of these places, cafes have also developed into substitute places of work. The changing concept of café has been as revolutionary as the changing perception of coffee. Initially, about two decades ago, coffee was available only as South Indian filtered coffee. This pick-me-up was, later, available as instant coffee and then as Espresso. Now this drink has acquired various formats like Cappuccino, Latte, Frappe, et al. Ashok Malkani, on the occasion of International Coffee Day, on 1st October, look at the changing café scenario, the effect of the pandemic on these outlets and their future. He also examines how the tipple called coffee is now available in various cocktail forms – hot or cold.
New Technology Designed to Detect Destructive Cocoa Virus
Swiss agrifood testing company SwissDeCode, in collaboration with Mars Wrigley, has created an on-site test that is designed to detect Cocoa Swollen Shoot Disease (CSSD) in asymptomatic trees in less than 60 minutes.
Passionate & Versatile!
Aavika Chhawchharia, Co-Founder of ‘Honey&Dough’ Coffeehouse & Bakery
Soya Means Health
With the excitement about healthy foods reaching its crescendo, it has become almost difficult to enjoy a sinful dessert or a creamy pastry without gulping a few slices of guilt along with them.
The Most Popular Autumn Drink
Autumn has arrived and with the season come seasonal favourites, autumnal drinks! With the classic, hot chocolate, and the modern favourite, pumpkin spice latte, vying for the top spot, which autumnal beverage is the most popular worldwide?
When Breads Speak German
The importance of bread in every society is unique in itself. Every country has many variations on the offer.
Baskin Robbins & Hershey's Team Up
Baskin Robbins India has teamed up with Hershey’s India to co-create a range of delicious ice creams and desserts.
Just Sandwiched
Sandwich is considered a humble food but it need not be. Sometime back, a sandwich in England was touted as the most expensive sandwich at £85. And it was not even at a fancy restaurant in a five-star hotel but at the Selfridges Department Store in London.
UNIBIC Foods Appoints CEO
UNIBIC Foods, one of India’s fastest growing FMCG companies announced the appointment of Naveen Pandey as its Chief Executive Officer. Naveen will be responsible for leading the strategic direction and growth journey of the Company.
FMCG Companies are Strengthening Rural Distribution Network to Combat the Low Consumer Sentiments
Like most sectors and indeed the larger economy, the FMCG companies to have not remained insulated from the effects of the pandemic, an outbreak which only seems to have resurfaced with greater ferocity and vehemence in recent days in the form of the so-called second wave.
Blue, Purple, and Healthy
Blueberries are flowering plants, whose height range from 10 centimeters to 4 metres. They can be aptly described as prostate shrubs. These plants or shrubs produce berries, which teem with health benefits.
Minimising Trans Fat Usage
The tussle between appearance and substance is an old one. And in the modern quick-fix mode of operations, this age-old debate has only become more intense.
Packed to Perfection
The pandemic has made the people more aware of consuming healthy food products, which are untouched by hand. Health is high up on the priority list and there is thus a leaning towards baked food, which is considered to be more nutrient. The bakery industry is thus seeing an increasing demand for its products. However, since the consumers are also insisting on products untouched by hand, packaging is assuming an increasing role in bakery products. Bread, biscuits and other products which are mechanically packaged are being preferred. There is thus an increasing demand for packaging material in the industry and the demand for this is expected to continue. Ashok Malkani examines the market for packaging bakery products and also other types of material that are needed by the industry.
You are never late with Choco-Late
The sweet and soothing chocolate is everyone’s favourite not only on Valentine’s Day but throughout the year. Chocolate, which is used in all types of desserts like cakes, candies, puddings et al., is also believed to be good for health. The cocoa beans in the chocolate contain dopamine, phenylethylamine, caffeine, and anandamide, which is considered to be a happy neurotransmitter in the brain. Anandamide, called the bliss molecule, makes you feel happy and blessed. No matter this much loved sweet has become popular globally and the World Chocolate Day is celebrated on 7th July every year. Ashok Malkani examines various aspects of the beloved sweet, chocolate: Its usage in desserts, the different types of chocolates, its health benefits, etc.
Work Smart, Work Hard!
Hamza Patel, Managing Director, AP Group
“Whatever you do, do it with determination and passion”
Chef Manikandan Sivamoorthy, Pastry Chef, JW Marriott Mussoorie
From Farm To Fork ... Opportunities In Dairy Industry
Dairy industry provides ample opportunities for new entrepreneurs to explore, as it makes its way from the farm to the dining table. Today milk comes in various forms. Besides the raw milk, one has low fat milk, fat free milk, flavoured milk, organic milk, lactose milk et al. Besides milk, an entrepreneur also has the option of entering any of the value added dairy products like cheese, butter, ghee, etc. All these dairy products also need packaging, which is another segment that entrepreneurs could explore, besides the machinery needed by the industry. Ashok Malkani examines all segments of the industry available for the enterprising entrepreneurs who desire to enter this industry.
India's Burger Market Has Promise
The global popularity of burger is complemented by its over hundred-year-old legacy. However, all said and done, the history of burger is not very old as compared to that of many other famous food items of the world.
Life is Yummy … with Desserts
Be it chocolates or cakes, sweets are always a favourite with people of all ages. Sweets have been a weakness with people from primordial days. A fondness for sweets is what endears desserts to the populace. If one looks at it scientifically, one finds that it was probably a fondness for sweets that gave people, in history, the energy and, possibly, saved their lives. Being able to taste sweetness might have helped our ancestors to identify energy rich food, which played a critical part in their survival. This fondness for sweets is what makes desserts an obsession with people. Ashok Malkani examines the love for desserts and analyses the modern concept of them being harmful to your health. He also looks at the trends during the New Year.
Milk Magic Enters Indian Consumer Market
Jayshri Gayatri Food Products (JGFP), one of the leading dairy product manufacturers in the Central India, has now forayed into the Indian domestic consumer market with its dairy products brand ‘Milk Magic’. The company has a strong foothold in the B2B segment of the domestic as well as the export markets over the years.
The Cultured Yogurt
Yogurt is a semi-solid, processed and fermented milk product, mostly prepared from cow’s milk. Yogurt is produced by the act of bacterial fermentation of milk. The bacteria used to make this dairy product are known as ‘yogurt cultures.’ Although milk from various domestic animals are used for yogurt production, but most commercial yogurt production units across the globe now use cow’s milk to maintain a consistent taste. However, yogurt can be prepared with any type of milk; be it from cow, buffalo, goat, and sheep. But nowadays, soymilk is also seen as a new-age component for commercial yogurt preparation.
Walnuts on the menu!
To appease the taste buds of their health-conscious clientele, hoteliers & restaurateurs are opting for walnuts to add flavour to every course from savoury appetisers to hearty entrées and desserts.
Design & Decorate Cakes Well!
Fresh edible flowers make gorgeous and easy cake decorations. Look for lovely colourful flowers such as sweet violets, lavender, honeysuckle, rose petals, bachelor’s buttons, johnny-jump ups, and calendulas just to name a few. Pile on these flowers on a frosted cake or even just a plain cake.
Bakels India Opens New Baking Centre
Bakels India's newly opened Baking Centre at Mumbai is an innovative “experiential space” that will enable Craft, Artisanal, and Industrial Bakers to get the best out of a creative environment to develop & test new product concepts using a broad array of Bakels’ world-class ingredients. Spread across 5000 sq.ft., it will also serve as the new headquarters for Bakels India. It joins the elite group, becoming only the 9th baking centre in Bakels worldwide.
Gelato - Heavenly Dessert
Gelato can be simplistically described as an ice-cream with less fat. But like all simplistic definitions, it doesn’t have completeness. Though gelato is often erroneously referred to as the Italian word for ice-cream, but there are differences between gelato and conventional ice-creams. Many a time people can’t make out the difference between gelatos and regular ice-creams. However, though Indians are largely ignorant of the nuances of gelato, but that doesn’t stop them from appreciating its heavenly taste.
Just Make It Naturally Sweet
Despite the powerful health conscious wave among the middle and upper middle income segment of India during the recent years, sugar still remains one of the chief ingredients of India’s bakery industry.
Wrap it up!
Packaging has become an important factor during the pandemic. People prefer to buy big brand packaged food products as they believe that these are more hygienic with less usage of human hands. They believe that packed under hygienic conditions, untouched by human hands, these packaged bakery products are less likely to spread the dreaded disease. The manufacturers’ objective of packaging food products is to protect it from spoilage or deterioration due to physical or chemical damage. Packaging, thus, not only ensures hygiene, by preventing tampering, but also helps in keeping the food from decaying. Besides this, it also provides product information and makes it look more presentable and appetizing. Ashok Malkani takes a look at the different types of packaging material available for bakery products and how they aid in increasing the products’ shelf life. New technologies have been adopted to enable bakery products maintain their freshness. He also takes a look at the future of bakery packaging to enable those desirous of entering the bakery packaging field, or starting a new bakery, keep abreast of the new emerging trends.
Simple Yet Elegant
Chef Salonika Bansal, Pastry Chef & Founder Crimsyn Patisserie