The awakening of the west. how more and more westerners are embracing
Indian food trends that includes falling in love with our beloved spice.
The west has always been enamoured with Indian spices and herbs. It was why the British made a journey from their island to India, full of perils, and it was partially why they overstayed their welcome for almost 200 years. Indian spices have captured the imagination and taste buds of the world for a long time. And continuing in this tradition of westerners enriching their lives with Indian spices, a new obsession is brewing over hing or as a native English speaker would call it Asafoetida. The irony is that this time they are obsessing over something that is not native to India, but their confusion is understandable given that the Indian populous is by far the biggest consumer of hing. Hing comes from the resin of giant fennel plants that grow wild in Afghanistan and Iran. We in India use hing as an integral part of Indian cuisine and natural medicine. The Gupta clan has been in the business of hing for over 100 years now. It all started with my great grandfather who started a trading company and the tradition has been going on from there. I was trained under the tutelage of my grandfather Lt. Shri Lala Laxmi Chand Gupta who is considered a leading figure in the hing business in India. Suffice to say I was brought up around the hing business and know all the intricacies and nuances of the business. When we started Tassyam, all the knowledge stayed with me and we wanted to make hing a cornerstone of our offerings. We make specialized hing blends that range from mild to extra strong raw hing crystals with varying flavour profiles for people from different regions and different cuisines. We have been noticing more and more that hing is gaining traction in our overseas market. My sister had a very illuminating experience on a trip to the United States of America when in San Francisco the owner of the spice shop took a deep whiff of our hing and she beamingly proclaimed that “it feels like this absolutely beautiful bottle of
[Tassyam’s] Hing belongs at a home”. The overseas market is as booming as it’s ever been. As long as we have been in business, we have had an overseas interest as many Indians settle abroad for myriad reasons and always buy food products from the native land. But this is different in many parts of the world non-Indians are the ones who are driving up the demand. This is especially true in the case of the US, the UK, Western Europe, and Singapore. Many of these non-Indian clients in these parts of the world are using hing as a replacement for onion and garlic, ostensibly for the health benefits of hing. It has antibiotic properties, anti- inflammatory properties, is good for gut health, helps treat high cholesterol, relieves irritable bowel syndrome, is effective in treatment for worms and intestinal parasites. It is also used for relieving flatulence. Many international researchers have also claimed its [Hing’s] anti-viral properties may help fight viral infections like influenza and it helps with respiratory issues. As the popularity of vegan and gluten-free products is at an all-time high, hing is at a major advantage as it is 100% plant-based. Vegan and gluten-free. The hing invasion of the west is upon us folks and it’s happening as we speak.
