At 11:30am sharp, I entered Mahogamy room at The Club to be greeted warmly by Saloni and Sam. It was nice meeting foodbloggers,chefs, and influencers (who are beginning to feel like an extended family) with the common goal of love for food.
Over the cup of coffee and light snacks, we warmed up, interacting with people in the room, exchanging visiting cards and catching up with news. Everybody present were invitees gathered under one roof to discover the taste of America that included products like walnuts, hazelnuts, lentils, WashingtonApples, pears, blue berries, pistachio and poultry products
The session started with the welcome note by Mrs.Saloni Malkani followed by introduction of Taste Of America by Ms Rhiannon Elms followed by other speakers who gave us an in-depth peek into US Products.
The seminar on Taste of America was all about how the US products can be integrated into Indian market, focusing on its nutrition value and how it can be incorporated into daily diet and in Indian cuisine at home.
Sumit Saran spoke about the power of USA pears and WashingtonApples. We were transported virtually to apple and pear farm that spread over 16000 acres in region of Washington and to farms in Oregon to show the harvest and treatment of Hazelnuts, Pistachio and Blue Berries.
The apple and pear growers are committed to minimising environment impact and ensuring that orchards are still growing for generation. They evaluate every variety's color, weight, pressure, sweet level, size and condition before and after harvest.
Pears are fat-free, cholesterol-free and sodium-free that help reduce heart diseases, risk of some types of cancer and is essential for normal cell growth and repair.
Thus the health benefits of each product were discussed in details and it was very insightful information.
Next Sachin Khurana and Shruti Gupta highlighted the versatility of USA pulses in Indian cooking/baking and about California Walnuts felicitating wellness goal. We watch one more video of Walnut farm in Oregon, its' harvest and how they pass through different process of cleaning, washing and sorting before they are packed and shipped.
There was a live demo by chefs of 'The Club' who used the 'The Taste Of America' products making it interesting by gathering iceberg, Olives, Basil leaves and Mint into a large glass and inverting it on the salad plate, then placing cherry tomatoes, Cranberries, Hazelnuts, Walnuts around the glass.. the glass was carefully lifted leaving the greens covering the nuts. This was then coated with balsamic vinegar and cheese. Many members from the room walked up to the salad station to get the taste. (I wanted to eat all of it) Yumm!!
Shorya Kapoor introduced USA blueberries, as a super-fruit that delivers crave-worthy flavors packed with beneficial nutrients, including phytonutrients and four essential nutrients: fibre, Vitamin A & C, and manganese. It is very versatile food and besides having it fresh, dried, frozen or in liquid form (as in beer) it can be incorporated in desserts, smoothies, ice creams, dips and even in soups and curries. It is also used in many beauty products.
Peush Narang spoke about Oregon Hazelnuts, its indulgence in a nutshell. All the attendees were asked to scan the site no55825155 or visit www.menti.com to participate in the quiz that has queries such as 'What comes to your mind when you think about hazelnuts?' And 'Were you aware of hazelnuts were from Oregon state in US'? Unfortunately not many were aware because most of the imports of India are from Turkey although it is found in small quantities in Himachal Pradesh wild trees near Pargi Valley and is known by its local name of 'Thangi'.
A brief introduction on US poultry in India was by Riya Singh to promote US poultry products such as Chicken, Eggs, Turkey and Duck. The taste for duck and turkey is not yet popular amongst Indian although turkey has made its entry in India during the festive season of thanksgiving. During Lunch hour, I did enjoy turkey with cranberry sauce and roasted vegetables. It was so delicious!!
There was a small Q&A session between Sameer.M and Anurag Katriar on current food trends in India and the future of eating out. Mr Anurag feels that people now prefer to use fresh ingredients in their cooking and are focusing more on the methods of cooking. He feels that people who frequent restaurants are now all casual diners who look for good vibes and good taste. More and more people are talking about Vegan diet and healthy food. Before the Indian food had too much of spices but now its is about flavors.
Listening to so many food stories at the #seminar on #TasteOfAmerica, hunger pangs took us to terrace adjoining the Mahogany room whereby there was a spread of delicious meals cooked with US products that included walnuts, pistachio, cranberry, WashingtonApples, Turkey and all the ingredients that we had talked about during the seminar. It was nice cloudy afternoon and we enjoyed the meals at the tables chit chatting and enjoying the meals
After lunch, we had a small chat with closer friends, few photo session...and then.(sincere thanks to dear Meeta of chiselled_meals for a ride back home) with delicious goodies of walnuts, pistachio, cranberries, fresh red apples, pears, an apron and lots of pamphlets to learn about the ingredients (thanks to @Tasteofamerica for The gift hamper)
Many thanks for an enjoyable afternoon with @foodbloggerai and @usconsulategeneralmumbai.
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