With a population of over 150,000 locals with ties to India and a wider global diaspora of Indians living around the world, the airline has a food offering that reflects the regional nuances of Indian food.
"We always look to our customer when it comes to creating our menus – we want to instil a sense of familiarity for customers that are travelling and experiencing regional Indian food the first time. With our Indian menus, it’s very much a nod to the simplicity and comfort of a home cooked meal," explained Ravi Nage, regional catering manager, Emirates.
"With each region and state in India having a distinctive culture and cuisine, you cannot look to a one-size-fits-all approach. So, whether it’s a condiment typical to a city, or a sweet associated with a festival, we try to bring those flavours onboard."
Emirates Indian routes, destination-inspired menus mirror the varied tastes and culture of the country, ensuring there is a well-balanced meal option for every need or preference.
Travellers on Kolkata flights are able to enjoy popular dishes from the eastern part of India, while passengers to Ahmadabad can sample region-specific dishes featuring the freshest ingredients.
Each route menu is different and changes monthly in line with the latest food and drink trends for example, Malvani Chicken Curry, Chai breads, Sarson Maach and Turiya Vatana Muthia and the well-loved nostalgic Amul Butter just to name a few.
On the South African routes, Emirates customers can savour the taste of India with dishes such as the newly introduced Rooibos cured salmon, avocado puree, ostrich pastrami, rye bread crostini, spinach pesto, ostrich tartare, marbled quail egg, mossbolletjies bread, fillet of ostrich, Stellenbosch Red Verjus sauce with smoked ostrich lardons and a scrumptious cajun and paprika chicken breast roasted, Rooibos tea jus.
Diversity is further enhanced by special occasion cuisines like special Iftar boxes on all routes during Ramadan, and the serving of traditional sweets like dry fruit barfi and motichoor ladoo during Diwali week.
In addition, the 3,500 channels of ice on Emirates’ also now cover the full spectrum of Indian entertainment content – with over 30 of the latest Bollywood releases, and 25 old favourite Bollywood movies.
