In less than a month we will be bidding farewell to the year that was, and what a year it has been! From football world cup matches to celebrity court trials, people were hooked on the internet to get all the latest scoop. People were also interested in a range of recipes and the latest food trends. Google recently released the list of most searched recipes in 2022 in India, and we must say it is quite an eclectic list.
The most searched recipe was Paneer Pasanda. That’s right, the classic curry made with cottage cheese cubes and hot spices made it to the top. Fun fact: ‘Pasanda’ means ‘everyone’s favourite’ in Hindi, and a ‘favourite’ it was indeed in the year 2022. The second most searched recipe was that of modak. Modak is a sweet dumpling, typically filled with khoya, jaggery or coconut. It is prepared widely on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, an 11-day long Hindu festival dedicated to Lord Ganesha, also known as ‘modakpriya’ or ‘lover of modaks’.
The Sex on the Beach cocktail, chicken soup and Malai Kofta occupied the third, fourth and fifth spots respectively on the Google ‘most searched’ list, followed by Pornstar Martini, Pizza Margherita and pancake. Another popular paneer item that made the list was Paneer Bhurji in ninth place. Paneer Bhurji is nothing but scrambled cottage cheese cooked with butter, spices and other veggies like onions and capsicum. It is usually paired with roti or paratha. The list concluded with Anarsa, a desi biscuit made with jaggery, rice flour, poppy seed and ghee. Popular in Bihar and Maharashtra, Anarsa is widely prepared during Diwali.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the list was the absence of biryani, the iconic rice and meat preparation. With more and more people giving up meat, is this indicative of the larger shift in people’s diet preferences. Guess we have to wait for 2023 for a clearer answer.