The Oberoi Melting Pot, held on Sunday at the Oberoi, Nariman Point, brought together cuisines from 20 different countries. The annual event was conceived a decade ago.
Says Devendra Bharma, executive vice president, Oberoi, “There’s no criteria for choosing participants. It welcomes all consulates.” The Australian stall dished out pavlovas and lamintons while the Canadian stall was thronged by roast turkey eaters. The Belgiums wowed people with their chocolates and the French with mini feuilllete and vanilla marble cake. The Israelis turned veg because of Indian tastes but the Germans stuck to their tried-and-tasted Bratwurst and sausage.
The Indonesians served chicken and mutton satay, masi goreng and gado gado. The Icelandic counter was packed with fruits, so was the Spanish stall. The Singaporians served fried rice and the Japanese temaki sushi and sake. Also in evidence were stalls from Korea, Malaysia, UK and the US.
The Rotary Club of Bombay put up the India stall. A silent auction generated funds for the Bombay Teen Challenge which spreads awareness about the trafficking of women and children. After the food, people from different countries came together on the dance floor. The Turks were eye-catching in red Tees and the Indonesian in Batik shirts.