From Samosa To Khichdi: Indian Comfort Food Draws Global Crowds At Davos

As world leaders walked past slipper and snow-laden lanes of this ski resort town for five days of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, they often made pit stops to savour masala chai, samosas, pakodas, paranthas and even khichdi. Also on the platter at places were biryanis and various Indian curries, attracting large crowds of Indians and often foreign nationals. Tata group put up a tea stall, Chai Central, near its lounge on the main street to Congress Centre, the venue of the WEF annual meeting, offering tea to passers-by. Not far away, HCL Tech also put up a stall for tea and coffee. Akshaya Patra was serving hot khichdi on the other end of the main promenade for free, attracting a huge crowd.

For the first time, an Indian food truck, Kumar Indian Food, also came up on Promenade to sell samosas, pakodas, rice, rotis, and various vegetarian and non-veg curries. It attracted more customers than other trucks in the same area, selling Chinese, Swiss and other food items. Inside the India Pavilion, which housed several union ministries and ten Indian states, hot Indian food and beverages were served. The menu includes samosas, tikkas, tea, coffee, rice, rotis, paranthas, curries, biryani and a lot more.

The same was the case with other Indian lounges, including those of Indian companies.