Chef Niklesh Sharma, founder, APCA: How the pandemic changed culinary trends in India

Starting out in 1992 as a chef with Oberoi Hotels, Chef Niklesh Sharma has come a long way. He founded the Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts (APCA) with centres in Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Malaysia and Philippines. Here he shares his insights on how the pandemic has impacted culinary trends in India

More than a year ago, life was normal and so was the working of all industries. The food and beverage industry was indeed flourishing with the introduction of new cuisines, increased preference of street joints, and the emergence of home chefs, bulk takeout orders, and exciting deals from food delivery partners. However, with the occurrence of the pandemic, our lives upturned, and everything came to a halt.

Since we locked in, consumers were managing their meals on their own. There were some who barely knew how to boil eggs or prepare Maggi and had to learn cooking for their survival. While there were others who could cook three-course meals but were burdened with the excess stress of home chores. Owing to the safety concerns, ordering in wasn’t even an option back then and consumers were managing everything independently.

Impact of the pandemic on the culinary trends: Comeback of family meals, increased preference for ready to cook food and home-cooked feasts

Covid-19 brought about a shift in the eating trends and revolutionised the culinary space. The concept of family meals and eating together with family made a comeback. Restaurants and food processing companies resorted to product innovations and came up with ready-to-cook meals so that the consumers could savour the taste of diverse delicacies in the comfort zone of their homes.

Consumer’s focus on home-cooked meals

Initially, everyone had donned the chef hat and were whisking and whipping various cuisines at home, But as the lockdown kept on extending, the zeal to cook slowly withered away. Eventually, people just wanted to cook for their survival and hence focused on simple meals.

Launch of DIY kits

Despite the ready-to-cook meals, consumers wanted to replicate the restaurant food at home. Hence, the food and beverage companies brought about product innovations in the form of DIY kits, from dumplings to burgers to Thai curry, and tacos, eateries were providing these kits of their exotic delicacies with the appropriate ingredients, right proportions, and recipe so that the consumers can relish flavoursome feasts amidst the comfy and hygienic environment of their homes.

The rise of the specialty era

The pandemic also gave way for the rise of the specialist era. The eateries no longer preferred long pager menus but were rather focusing on their specialties. For instances, the bakers had dedicated themselves to just cakes and pastries of specific flavours, the dessert makers prepared only their bestsellers let’s say cheesecake or tiramisu, while the fast foods joints were inclined towards the provision of specialised delicacies like the garlic bread, variety of sandwiches, burgers or Chinese appetisers. The makers saw an opportunity in capturing just one market and hence specialisation was thought of to be the best route.

Quick service meals

Quick service restaurants also witnessed a surge in their demand. Quick service foods like burgers and sandwiches take less time for preparation and hence was the go-to solution for consumers to satiate their hunger pangs.

The passion of cooking

People from diverse walks of life got a chance to rekindle their passion and interests. Be it bankers, financial analysts, or bloggers and businessmen, everyone had immersed themselves in cooking as their passion project. Some of them even turned home chefs and entrepreneurs and saw an opportunity in selling home-cooked food due to its homey flavour and hygiene. Hence, cooking was a therapeutic hobby for some and an alternative source of income for others.

Online classes and cooking

Since everything was happening virtually amidst the remote working setup, even cooking classes were happening online. Additionally, thanks to the power of social media, Michelin star chefs were posting new and interesting recipes on their social media handles which were being actively replicated by the consumers in their kitchens.

Culinary trends in 2021

2021 is anticipated to be a great year full of innovative culinary trends. Some of the major ones are-

Vocal for local

The consumers have adopted vocal for local strategy in the food space as well. The hyperlocal cuisines and regional spices are increasingly preferred to prepare local and national cuisines and the dependency on foreign meals has reduced.

Rise of cloud and home kitchens

Owing to the work from home trend which has been continued in 2021 as well, the people are not keen to order in much or prepare three-five meals a day. The craving for outside food has reduced and consumers are hell-bent on home-cooked food. Hence, home-cooked foods will be preferred in 2021 as well. This has led to the rise of home chefs, home and cloud kitchens, and home-cooked food dabbas across the country and will continue to be seen this year too.

Home-cooked food

Consumers now prefer simple meals over exotic feasts. Dal chawal, khichdi, roti sabzi are now more in demand as compared to the restaurant-made kebabs or chicken tikka. Due to the sedentary lifestyle, simple homey meals are preferred as they are light on the stomach, low on calories, healthy, and are easy to digest.

Quick service and ready to cook meals

Leisure or rather lavish meal is no longer preferred. Quick service meals have been the latest trends to be adopted by the consumers and stand second in the priority list after home-cooked food and will be here to stay. The demand for ready-to-cook food in a few simple steps also soared and will be preferred in 2021 as well.

Immunity building and wellness foods

Foods possessing immunity-building properties and helping in maintaining good health will be in huge demand this year.  Wellness foods like turmeric, garlic, ginger, amla, superfoods, ghee, fruits, vegetables along with healthy concoctions, and seasonal produce will rule our platters.

Better eating pattern

Owing to work from home concept, initially, our sleeping and eating routine was disrupted. However, now since we have got accustomed to the trend, consumers are understanding the importance of good health. They are now making concerted efforts to maintain their health so as to have strengthened immunity levels. This is why eating early and sleeping on time is now a part of their regime and will continue to be seen in 2021 as well.

Focus on hygiene, culinary tourism, DIY kits, and home deliveries

Eateries will focus more on the quality and quantity of the food rather than offering a diverse variety of cuisines. They will also ensure stringent adherence of the rules and regulations with reference to hygiene and social distancing practices.

Additionally, culinary tourism will pick up pace as people now crave to step out and enjoy. Travel and food have always been an inseparable combination and hence consumers will be happy to travel destinations to savor the local delicacies.

Furthermore, DIY kits and home deliveries will continue to be seen in 2021 as well with a decline in street food preference.

Chef-driven delivery restaurants

While earlier chef-owned restaurant chains were preferred for their ambience and high-end culinary experiences, now the renowned chefs will foray into the home delivery segment considering the shift in consumer preferences of ordering in.

Healthy and nutritious meals

Consumers will now focus on the intake of nutrient-packed meals. Vegan, healthy, organic, wellness foods will be the prime choice of consumers with an aim to have a healthy diet.

Summing Up

Covid-19 also led to the emergence and growth of food delivery partners and aggregators like Swiggy and its Genie service, Dunzo, etc. They helped in smooth transportation of the restaurant meals as well as wedding feasts and home-cooked food to the loved ones.

In the coming times, new ways of dining will be primarily preferred in the form of outdoor seating and cafes. Trends like customised picnic baskets and chef collaborations with brands will also pick up pace. While hashtags like quarantinechef, lockdownrecipes boomed, 2021 has led to the increased interest in gardening activities as consumers wish to grow organic produce and consume healthy food.

Eating out is no longer an emerging trend. The pandemic indeed brought about various changes but has also paved the way for the comeback of family bonding time meals along with inducing preference for home-cooked foods and local cuisines. 2020 was a year of innovations and strategies. However, 2021 will see less of social dining, and rather it will be the year of unique culinary trends with consumers sticking to ordering in or savouring simple homey foods packed with nutrition.