Chicken tikka masala binds Swedish food lovers to India

The two chefs, who are in charge of the prestigious Nobel Dinner, the culinary showcase after the Nobel Prize ceremony held inside the Stockholm City Hall, were here recently to give India a taste of Sweden. “Swedes love Indian food, the most popular one is by far chicken tikka masala. It’s the one Indian dish every Swede knows and loves, but people are definitely beginning to explore more and some Indian vegetarian restaurants have also become really popular,” Swedish Chefs Mark Phoenix and Fredrik Forsell told the media. “Also, both India and Sweden have a very strong culinary heritage. 

Like Indians, we Swedes also use a lot of potato in our cooking. When it comes to differences, I think Indians love their spicy palate, but Swedes go a bit easy on that front and our food is a bit mild,” Forsell said. The Consulate General of Sweden recently hosted an exclusive tête-à-tête cum tasting at Palate Culinary Studio in Mumbai with chefs Phoenix and Forsell, aimed at creating awareness about the rich and diverse culinary heritage of Sweden. 

“Sweden’s cuisine is based on a simple cooking style, often mild and not very spicy, salt and black pepper have been the everyday spices for many Swedes. This has of course changed with international trade facilitating imports of various spices, vegetables and fruit, but salt and pepper are still the basic spices in Swedish cuisine,” Phoenix said. Both the chefs feel Swedish cuisine in India is at the “awareness” stage. 

“Having said that, we get a lot of queries about Swedish meatballs and there is much inquisitiveness about our herring and salmon dishes as well. But when you are in a foreign country, you need to be a bit innovative when ingredients may or may not be readily available, so we try and do that,” they said. On the diverse range of Swedish culinary offerings, Acting Consul General Nils Eliasson said, “In Sweden, we love food, fun and festivities. Just like in India, every big occasion is always celebrated with sumptuous food, we are celebrating the upcoming Nobel Prize announcements and with the increasing popularity of Swedish cuisine in India, it is only fitting for us to bring a bit of Sweden to Mumbai through this master class and inspire people to appreciate the Swedish culinary diversity.”