Indian masala tea popular in White House: Obama's chef

 Seventeen grand chefs of the world’s most exclusive gastronomic society Le Club Des Chefs Des Chefs believe that Indian dishes are more than simple recipes.

The only woman chef of the club, Cristeta Pasia Comerford, chef of US President Barack Obama, believes that Indian cooking is more than a philosophy.

Speaking to DH at Rambagh Palace’s Suvarna Mahal, the former palace ballroom designed in 18th Century décor, she said, “Indian recipes are straight from the heart. It’s more about mixing of fragrances and tastes. Whenever any official visits the White House, we try to make him/her feel at home by preparing tea from Indian leaves. Indian masala tea is a popular beverage in the White House.” Cristeta is the first woman and first person of Asian descent to hold the post of the White House executive chef since 2005.

For the host chef, Montu Saini, chef of the President of India, it is a dream come true to make top chefs of the world visit India for the first time in the society’s 40-year history.

Saini told DH, “One of the aims of Club des Chefs des Chefs is to develop friendship and cooperation among its members who have similar responsibilities in their respective countries.”

Saini believes that India has a variety of cuisines and combination of flavours like its culture, and the world class chefs could understand it after visiting spice markets in Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. They now understand that Indian cuisine is beyond recipes.... it’s more about fragrance of spices.

Oldest dishes

Speaking about the preservation of oldest dishes, he said, “We are concerned about the preservation of oldest dishes and for that, their documentation is must. The beauty of India is that we don’t have a specific national cuisine. Even the utensils have their own importance. The ‘handi’ (earthen pot used for cooking) is primitive but has its own importance... heat comes back to food.”

The chefs from Monaco, Finland, Germany, France, Italy, USA, Great Britain, Estonia, Denmark, China, Galson, Sweden, Luxembourg, Iceland and Spain attended the meet. Gilles Bragard, founder of Club des Chefs des Chefs, said, “The purpose of the club is to pay tribute to the chefs of heads of states; these legendary figures who work behind the scenes, are aware of the role that they play in international diplomatic relations.”