**New Delhi:** Khichdi, the food considered to be a staple food in India across all boundaries of class or religion is to be accorded as ‘Brand India Food’ during the World Food India 2017. Khichdi, a food item which is prepared using rice, pulses, coarse cereals and spices has been selected as a Brand India food because it symbolises the country’s unity in diversity.
“Khichdi is the wonder staple food of India and is considered the healthiest prepared food in India and it is being eaten across length and breadth of India by rich and poor,” Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal told reporters at the curtain raiser event.
I encourage everyone to head over to the @WorldFoodIndia mega event this weekend for a truly breathtaking experience. #WorldFoodIndia pic.twitter.com/loHiunz6HU
— Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) October 31, 2017
The mega event organised by the Ministry of Food Processing will also see India’s best chefs coming together to make 800 kg of Khichdi on November 4 at the World Food India event here in a bid to create a world record and popularise it as a Brand India food globally.
The khichdi will be prepared by renowned chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who has been roped as brand ambassador of the Great India Food Street for the three-day event starting November 3.
The cooked khichdi will be distributed to about 60,000 orphan children as well as guests present at the event. The khichdi will also be distributed to the Heads of Foreign Missions in India along with recipe.
Brand India Khichdi’s ingredients and recipe will be popularised by Indian Foreign Missions throughout the world. The government will ensure that Khichdi is available in restaurants and kitchens around the world, an official statement said.
Some historians believe that the British Raj was so fascinated by Khichri that they took it with them and adopted it as ‘kedgeree’.
This humble dish has its various avatars across India. While in north India, it is called as ‘khichri’ or ‘khichdi’, in south India it is known as huggi, pulagam or pongal. Khichdi is cooked with different variations. Be it matar khichdi, vegetable khichdi, plain khichdi, or dry khichdi, it is taken by the people across the country.
With the announcement on November 3 or 4, Khichdi would officially become the national dish of India at the World Food India event.
The bumper show will be attended by over 50 global CEOs and 200 companies.
