Food Ingredients - For Sustained Growth

The food ingredients market is the world's fastest growing market.

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In India, where people are passionate about their food, cuisine is considered as an identity marker of ethnicity and distinctiveness for each of its States. Each one of these States has its own regional cuisine which they treat with incredible seriousness. This acts as an ideal opportunity for the overall growth of food ingredients market. Ashok Malkani examines the market for the opportunities it offers new entrepreneurs.

Love for food is a global phenomenon. A true epicure, gourmet, gourmand or gastronome is one who loves to taste delectable cuisine that makes the taste buds tingle. And since Indian cuisine is a multi-faceted one with almost every region of the country having its own traditional gastronomic fare it is termed as one of the best. In fact the whole world is finally recognising the taste of the diverse dishes and spices of the country.

According to Taste Atlas, Indian. cuisine, which received 4.54 out of fivestar ratings, holds the 5th rank on the list of the World's Best Cuisine Awards 2022. According to the Bulgaria-based food website garam masala, malai, ghee, butter garlic naan, keema, chutney, biryani, butter chicken, tandoori chicken and 460 other popular and regional Indian dishes have contributed in putting India in the fifth position.

Since the cooking methods in different regions of the country vary, there is a wide variety of ingredients which form, what can be called in Hindi as "Masala market" Among the grains, besides rice and wheat (which are considered as staples) there are various other grains which are commonly used. A few of them are: Jowar (or Sorghum), Makki (or Maize), Bajra (or Pearl Millet), Ragi (or Finger Millet). These are just a few of them. Besides grains, the ingredients market also has an array of spices. With cooking methods differing from region to region the masala market comprises of spices like: