A group of Maharashtrian food buffs have come together and appealed to all the state-run resorts and hotels to start including Maharashtrian dishes in their menu apart from Punjabi, Moghlai and Tandoori food.
They have also written to the higher education minister to include authentic Maharashtrian cuisine in the hotel management curriculum offered by various institutes. If the state fails to act on the appeal, they are all set to approach the court.
The group includes restaurant owners, chefs, faculties in catering colleges and some non-Maharashtrians, who love the local cuisine. Every year, 22,000 students pass out from catering colleges. However, not a single college has Maharashtrian cuisine in their curriculum.
“The authorities say that there is no demand for Maharashtrian food in five-star hotels. So, there is no point in teaching them. How will anyone know if the cuisine is good or bad if they never taste it? Maharashtrian food is known for the delicacies and nutritious value,” said Praveen Mani, who teaches in catering colleges, including Rizvi and Atharva catering college. “The government should make it a compulsory subject in the three-year hotel management course.”
Suhas Awchat, owner of a popular Maharashtrian restaurant, said: “Even the state-run subsidised hotels do not serve authentic Maharashtrian food. Government functions, parties and events should also compulsorily serve traditional food. We have now appealed to the education minister. If nothing works out, we will move the court.”
When asked if the issue was raised keeping Raj Thackeray’s Marathi agenda in mind, Awchat said, “It has nothing to do with the agenda. It is the 50th year of our state and we want to bring about a change.” The experts are ready to provide the list of dishes that need to be incorporated in the syllabus and are also offering to train the students.
