Culinary Tourism - DOT-Maharashtra Tourism
Purpose
Culinary Tourism or Food Tourism or Gastronomy Tourism focuses on promoting local delicacies and drinks of a destination based on their history, culture and heritage. It helps explore food in pursuit of a memorable eating and drinking experience. It helps satisfy educational curiosity about food, its history, techniques and trends of a particular place. Food is a reflection of a particular destination’s tradition, culture and heritage. Discovering a new destination through the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences is a great way to bring an unexplored location into the spotlight
What Is It?
Culinary Tourism gained prominence around 2001 and since then has been one of the specialized segments of Tourism. The intention is to tantalize the taste palates of the tourists while simultaneously promoting the destination with a new outlook. It helps understand the culture, history, and traditions of a place while savoring food all along. As rightly said by Thomas Keller - “A recipe has no soul, you as a cook must bring soul to the recipe.” Culinary Tourism brings about the rich experience of exploring various destinations with a flavourful quest of local cuisines alongside.
Description
Maharashtra offers a huge plate of distinctly different flavoured food. From the street food of vada-pav, kande bhajis, pav bhaji to zunka bhakar, misal pav to chat delicacies, the taste of food in Maharashtra changes drastically. Each region has its specialities and uses the local produce liberally. Blessed with coastal areas, the state is known for its seafood produce and preparations. The fish curries to crab masala, kolambi masala to fried surmai, kolambi pulao to prawns koliwada are the staple diet of many from the Konkan region. The Vidarbha region is known for its tangy spicy meat curry preparations. Kolhapur has its distinct preparations known for tambda rassa and pandhara rassa Tourists can rejoice in their interests also by participating in a paddock to platter experience by participating in various behind the scene activities. Participate in cooking lessons and demos and eat with the locals. Visit the local markets to understand local produces, ingredients used in traditional cuisines. Culinary Tourism in Maharashtra also has varied experiences like farm activities where you can understand where the produce comes from and learn the cooking techniques. Tourists are keen to indulge in a diverse range of food varying from farm produce to gourmet menus. Participate in cooking competitions, tour the manufacturing plants, brewery and wineries, enjoy food festivals. Gastronomy tourism has a different definition with varied experiences in Maharashtra. Walking tours combined with experiencing local cuisines is the new way of introducing a blend of cuisine and heritage.
Uses To Tourists / People
As per World Food Travel Association, food and drinks expenses account for anywhere between 15%-35% of all tourism spending depending on the affordability of the destination. This spending can contribute directly to the hospitality industry invariably adding value to the destination. It is popular amongst chefs, wine connoisseurs and food enthusiasts and DINKS. Also, foodies, bloggers and enthusiasts interested in eating, sampling wine and beer, cooking, baking and learning about the history of certain foods can be a great audience to this niche segment.
How It Benefits The Community / Tourists
Culinary Tourism represents the intangible heritage of the destination that promotes all year round thus ensuring sustainable tourism. Such segments will enable the steady promotion of all from small farms, homestays to local eateries and well-established restaurants.
Examples
Currently, various walking tours are organized in Mumbai, Pune and Konkan to explore the local cuisines and delicacies. Walking in the bazaars of Mumbai and Pune is an absolute treat to the senses. Understand the various spices, ingredients as you walk along the narrow colourful streets. Meet and eat with the locals is a concept that has picked up in some of the areas of the state. Eat a Bhori thal in the home of a person from the Bhori community. Several international communities cuisines have become a part of this state as its residents for centuries. Head to south Mumbai for Parsi bakeries to relish Parsi community cuisine. Another upcoming segment is pub crawls where you explore famous pubs in a city and also learn to make cocktails from the experts. Winemaking and tasting can be experienced at Sula Vineyards located at Nashik along with gourmet cheese preparations.
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