India's Food Industry - 4 Culinary Professions You Can Look At

Introduction

Whether it is Delhi's chole bhature, Mumbai's pav bhaji, Kerala's dosa, Hyderabad's biryani, or Rajisthan's dal bati churma, we all love food. 

Apart from being necessary for our survival, food is essential for our taste buds. Food is someone's first love, someone's means of livelihood, and someone's way of expressing love for their loved ones.

Food Industry

Food production, distribution, processing, conversion, preparation, preservation, transportation, certification, and packaging are a part of the industrial activity of the food industry. The food processing sector in India is one of the world's largest, with output anticipated to reach $535 billion by 2025-26. By 2024, this industry is predicted to provide 9 million employment opportunities. The Indian food industry is growing at an annual rate of 11%, with the food processing sector accounting for 32% of the total.

Grain milling, Fruits and Vegetable, Processing, Dairy (milk and milk products), Eggs and Poultry, Meat and meat products, fish and other marine food processing, Bakeries, Beverages (tea/coffee/wineries) are the types included in the food industry. 

World's known Cuisines 

Japan, Mexico, India, Italy, Greece, France, Thailand, the US, China, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey, Vietnam are some of the well-known cuisines across the globe. These countries offer a great variety of tastes, flavours, and nutritional values which are unique and special for each country. 

Indian Cuisine 

Indian Cuisine is wholesome of spices, tadkas, nutrition, protein, and carbohydrates. It is among the world's well-known cuisines. Not only Indians but foreigners too admire Indian food 

Indian food consists of both daily consumable food as well as imperial food. 

Indian local food includes pav bhaji, chole bhature, Gol Gappa, paneer tikka, dosa. 

The Indian flavours even make other varieties of food interesting. The Indian touch to Chinese, Continental, Italian food makes them more interesting. 

Indian cuisine also includes imperial food like dal makhani, shahi paneer, kabab, matar kulcha which are not only enjoyed by Indians but by people all across the globe. 

Indian cuisine is not only rich in spices but also in nutrition. Indian dishes are wholesome with proper nutrition, carbohydrates, protein, and fats. 

Food as Profession 

Many people nowadays have food as their profession. It is a means of their livelihood. 

• Chef: For a chef, food is the sole means of earning. It is often observed that many men, in fact, more than women, are engaged in cooking. Cooking is a passion for them that they transformed into their profession. Chefs are hired at restaurants, hotels, bars, cafes, and other food chains. An individual can do graduation in Culinary Arts or Hotel Management to start off his/her career as a chef. Further certifications can be acquired to reach higher positions in the food industry. 

• Food Critics: These are the individuals who observe minute details in the food and rank the food based on its taste, presentation, appearance, quality, smell, colour combination, the aura of the place, and the setup of the kitchen. They then write their reviews about the restaurant or cafe in their column which is read by thousands of people across the country. 

• Food Blogger: There are some people who love to try the food at different places. Food bloggers are those who travel across the globe and try a variety of food dishes and then recommend to their viewers which place to eat at. There is no specific degree that is required to become a food blogger. The person just needs to be good at photography to post about the food on social media. 

• Nutritionists: Nutritionists are experts who guide people on what to eat and how much to eat in exchange for fees for their services. Nutritionists or dieticians suggest good according to the height, weight, age, gender, or medical condition of an individual. As people are becoming more and more conscious about the food they consume, this profession is gaining attention. 

Conclusion

The food industry is counted as one of the growing industries in India. It has huge potential. The Indian food industry is growing at an annual rate of 11%. 

Indian cuisine is one of the best-known cuisines in the world. It has a perfect blend of spices and nutrition. 

Not only a measure of leisure but food is also executed as a profession. Many of us opt for food as a profession and become experts in the field. 

Written by Srishti Kumar