‘The Romance of Indian Coffee’ is the Indian entry to the Gourmand International (Book) Award this time
The Indian entry to the Gourmand International (Book) Award this time is on what until recently was a south Indian addiction: coffee.
With the coffee culture proliferating across India, thanks to chains like Starbucks, Barista and Café Coffee Day, the routine act of consuming the black decoction stirred in milk, as most people do, and with or without sugar – which again is a personal choice – has acquired an uber-cool image among the Gen Y.
Bengaluru-based journalist P.T. Bopanna has brought alive this unique trait in his book The Romance of Indian Coffee , now shortlisted for the Gourmand International Award, where it will vie for the top honours among coffee books from Brazil, France, China, Thailand, and the U.S., to name a few.
Hailing from Kodagu, which is the home of coffee in India, it was natural for Mr. Bopanna to feel inspired to write on the brew which has a universal appeal.
“My earlier works were Kodagu-centric, but I found a wider canvas in coffee which is also related to Kodagu,” said Mr. Bopanna.
“The book traces the history of coffee in India with interesting titbits about the brew and how its cultivation in the shade lends it a unique flavour, unlike coffee grown in the open in most other countries,” explained Mr. Bopanna, who believes that making coffee is an art. Notwithstanding the proliferation of coffee bars, the best filter coffee, he said, was still prepared in the bylanes of Chennai and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu.
The contribution of Ivor Bull, a British planter, who introduced intercropping and is a legend among the locals, has been highlighted in the book as also recipes for making coffee liqueur.
But ironically, he notes that Kodavas, who market home-grown coffee to the rest of the world and have spanned a coffee culture in India, have taken after the British and prefer tea!
There are entries from as many as 64 countries for the Gourmand awards, started in 1995 as a celebration of global cookbook and wine book publishing. The final results will be announced on May 28 at Yantai, China.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by R. Krishna Kumar / Mysuru – January 31st, 2016
