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Aloo baingan among world’s 100 worst-rated foods! Desi foodies say aayein?
Foodies defend aloo baingan’s cultural significance and flavours against subjective rankings after TasteAtlas names it among 100 Worst Rated Foods In The World.
There’s a new laughter reason pertaining to baingan (eggplant), after all the smirks over the viral meme — wherein a reporter asked a school student about his fav subject, and received the reply as baingan!
Wondering what’s the new reason? Well, the answer lies in the sabji Aloo Baingan being enlisted as the only Indian dish in the 100 Worst Rated Foods In The World!
This list, issued by TasteAtlas, has ranked the combination of potato and eggplant at number 60 while describing it as “simple and flavourful... a popular Indian lunch item that is commonly packed in lunchboxes throughout Northern India”. In the online guide, the dish might have received a rating of 2.7 out of 5, but most Indians on social media are rattled wondering how is this possible.
“All I can say is that the king is heartbroken,” shares Prabhjot Singh, from food blogging group Foodkars, adding, “Brinjal is termed as the king of the vegetables and there’s not a single dhaba, restaurant, or hotel in all of North India where brinjals aren’t served regularly! The jury should definitely come to India and taste the real aloo baingan.”
In a similar vein, food influencer Shagun Malhotra quips, “The outsiders who are used to eating bland foods sans spices may not get it, but aloo baingan tastes superb according to the Indian palate. We’ve all grown up eating it.”
Throwing some more light on the lit dish, Anoothi Vishal, food historian and writer, shares, “Baingan with spice is one of the most ancient dishes in the Indian subcontinent. There were some findings from one of the Indian valley sites, where they found remnants in a cooking pot of a dish which had brinjal, turmeric and ginger. These three ingredients together are civilisational! It’s a historical dish. Of course, food is a personal choice and the conclusion is highly subjective. But, Indian food is all about spicing. Aloo baingan might not be the best baingan dish but it’s not the worst, surely.”
The overall list, however, is topped by Iceland’s Hákarl, a national delicacy that has fermented shark in Icelandic, followed by US’ ramen noodles, prepared by making a burger with ramen noodle bun stuffed with meat patty.
