Move over exotic global ingredients, Indian restaurants are going into the wild to forage for ingredients that are lesser known to people but are absolutely delicious. As Wild Foods Day is celebrated on October 28, we explored how wild and foraged foods are not only entering menus in restaurants but also becoming a part of food brands
Wild Foods Day is celebrated every year on October 28 around the world. Photos Courtesy: Special Arrangement
Key Highlights
- Every year, Wild Foods Day is observed on October 28 to celebrate the wild flowers, fruits
- In India, an increasing number of restaurant menus showcasing wild and foraged foods
- Indian chefs are experimenting with ambaadi, gendaphool, arbi and even mahua in their food
Can you imagine enjoying a gendaphool (marigold) sorbet at a restaurant? It may only be a palate cleanser at Palaash, a restaurant situated near the Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary in the heart of the Tipeshwar Forest in Maharashtra, but it is exactly what chef Amninder Sandhu set out to do when she opened the restaurant in October 2023. The flower is only one of other wild and foraged foods that have been entering menus in restaurants like Sandhu’s that sourced ambaadi (sorrel) and chinch (tamarind), which are only the tip of the iceberg, or should we say forest?