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2021 was undoubtedly the year of bizarre food experiments. Tossing rule books out of the window, foodies got obsessed with all that was quirky and shocking. Ordinary food items presented in the most unexpected ways sparked the imagination of food lovers. No wonder, these strange creations went viral in no time, often making purists turn up their noses in dismay. Here are the glimpses:
Kulhad got an appraisal
Kulhads, the humble earthen pots used to serve tea, were seen in a new light. Kulhad-baked cheesy momos made by a Delhi-based street vendor in Krishna Nagar broke the internet. Fried momos are tossed with sauces and veggies, then placed in a kulhad and baked. Earlier this year, we also saw kulhad noodles, kulhad rajma chawal and kulhad cakes.
Food for the richie-rich
Gold-plated dishes ruled social media throughout the year in a pandemic-stricken world. It was perhaps our way of assuring ourselves that prosperous times will return soon. Edible gold was layered not just on burgers ( ₹1,29,617) but french fries ( ₹14,800) and vada pav ( ₹2,000) too! Some dishes made it to the list of world’s most expensive foods with 22 and 24 carat edible gold garnish.
All for the love of noodles
Who doesn’t love noodles, be it chilly, ramen, garlic, soupy or any other variety? Experimenting with noodles had always been fun till the day maggie milkshake was born! We also saw cookies and chocolate syrup noodles, pani puri noodles, noodle cone, noodle pizza, noodle ice cream and many such outlandish creations. While many called them outrightly bizarre and cringe-worthy, the experiments did have some takers who believe creativity has no bounds.
High on pizza
Known popularly as the Crazy Happy Pizza, this unique pizza topped with canabbis leaf is the product of Thailand-based fast food chain. They offered marijuana as an optional condiment too. It’s no surprise that the pizza took the internet by storm. The makers promoted it in the month of November and claimed it’s legal but won’t get you actually high. They claimed that if one has a lot of it, they may get a bit sleepy.
Ahmedabad’s love for fusion
As if hundreds of varieties of pakodas were not enough, an Ahmedabad-based street vendor came up with Oreo Pakodas. The vendor, who went viral making this pakoda, claimed that he has been frying Oreo cookies and gram flour together for the last 15 years. Another one, married desi mouth freshener (paan) with ice cream and chocolate. The maker was seen pouring chocolate sauce on a sizzling platter and placing a cube of brownie on it. He then added a scoop of mint green ice-cream and topped it with a mitha paan.
The idli experience
Someone had to be very creative to mold idli into an ice-cream and relish it with hot sambar. While we were still trying to process this, videos of black idli surfaced. A Mumbai-based chef claimed to have come up with popsicle idlis, while a Nagpur-based eatery became famous for black detox idlis. The colour black was added by roasting a mix of coconut shells, orange peels, beetroot juice and pulp.
