'Bell Pepper Dal, Bite Size Naan': Dutch Office Posts 'Questionable' Video Of Indian Food

There is no doubt that Indian food is becoming more and more popular around the world. Now even the best international restaurants offer a variety of Indian dishes. However, it goes without saying that Indian food is hard to master. As a result, foreign cooks, especially those who are not familiar with South Asian food, end up losing some “authenticity” of the cuisines. Recently, an Indian man working in the Netherlands shared a video showing his office’s attempt at Indian cuisine.

The buffet menu included dishes called “bell pepper dal”, “padima chutney” and bite-sized “naans”, shaped like small circles. While sharing this video, the Instagram user Anuvind Kanwal wrote, “The Indian food served today at my office in the Netherlands seems a bit questionable to say the least. I sure don’t want to know what “Padima Chutney” is made of.”

This post has so far gathered over 6,000 likes. In the comments, many people poked fun at the Western twist on Indian food. At the same time, several people lauded the office management for at least trying to offer different cuisines.

An Instagram user wrote, “Appreciate the efforts that have been made to present this fare. But personally, I feel it’s always better to eat the local food wherever one is because it’s always fresh.” Sharing the same sentiment, another person remarked, “Well umm…at least we should appreciate the efforts though some advice to the cook won’t harm either of us I believe!!”

Someone used witty wordplay on the small naans and wrote, “They have naan disclosure agreements for these recipes.” Another person joked “That premature delivery of naan is a bit concerning, but not more than padima chutney.” An Instagram user suggested that the naans should have been named “naan bites” to make them more acceptable.

A section of people mentioned how food recipes and styles often evolve and change when they get passed to other countries. An Instagram user observed, “You should see what Indians pass off as Chinese and Italian cuisine here, except high-end restaurants.” The second one reasoned, “Dude, I bet Europeans feel the same way about the Indian ‘continental’ cuisine. I think it’s a great thing that they are trying to be more inclusive and adventurous with their taste buds.”