For decades, archenemies Pakistan and India have
engaged in a dangerous nuclear arms race. Now they’re also competing in
a more cheerful forum. The outcome will be mouthwatering curries and
soothing Sufi ballads, not violent conflict.
The fractious neighbors are going head-to-head in a pair of reality TV
shows that pit chefs and musicians against each other. Producers hope
the contests will help bridge the gulf between two nations that were
born from the same womb and have been at each other’s throats ever
since.
But so far it hasn’t completely worked out that way. The top Pakistani
chef on the cooking show, which is called Foodistan, quit the contest
early. He accused the judges of bias toward India and is threatening to
sue. The producers denied the allegations.
Pakistan and India were founded in 1947 following the breakup of the
British Empire.
They have fought three major wars, two of them over the disputed
territory of Kashmir.
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The TV shows do not try to hide or brush over this painful history. They
make light of it.
”Now the world’s greatest rivalry is going to get spicier,” said co-host
Ira Dubey during one of the early episodes of Foodistan, which first
aired in India on Jan. 23 and will be shown in Pakistan starting in
mid-February.
Her counterpart, Aly Khan, said the aim of the two teams ”would be to
grind the opposition into chutney, to make them eat humble pie, to dice
them, slice them and fry them on their way to culinary glory.”
Eight chefs from each country were scheduled for individual and team
competitions over 26 one-hour episodes, with the winner authoring the
first Foodistan cookbook and receiving a trip to three cities of his or
her choice anywhere in the world.
There is significant overlap in the cuisines of both countries, as there
is in language, music and culture. Pakistanis and Indians both love
curry, kebab and biryani _ a spiced rice dish. But they often use
different ingredients, and dishes can also vary from one region to
another within the same country.
Pakistani dishes often include beef, which is not eaten by many people
in majority Hindu India for religious reasons. India has more vegetarian
dishes, and the food is often cooked with ingredients like coconut milk
that are rarely found in Pakistan.
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Many Pakistanis and Indians have missed out on enjoying the varied
tastes of the other country because mutual enmity has made cross-border
travel difficult.
”Even though they are neighbors, Indians don’t know what Pakistani food
is like and vice versa,” said Mirza Fahad, a production assistant at
India’s NDTV, which developed Foodistan. ”It was long overdue to get to
know each other’s foods.”
During the first cook-off on the show, filmed in New Delhi, the judges
gave four chefs from each side two hours to prepare a biryani, curry,
kebab and dessert. Each of the three judges gave the team’s meal a score
out of 10.
The judges loved the Iranian-inspired fish biryani cooked by the
Pakistanis, their chicken kebab stuffed with figs, olives, bread and
mango chutney, and their shahi tukda _ a dessert of fried bread soaked
in hot milk with spices. They scored 21 out of a possible 30, losing
points because a dish of chicken in shalimar curry was a tad chewy.
The Indians ended up winning the first contest by one point with a menu
that included chicken tikka with truffle cream, cheese kofta in a tomato
and water chestnut curry, lamb biryani and phirni _ a sweet rice pudding
that they topped with strawberry granita.
The captain of the Pakistani team, Mohammed Naeem, executive chef at the
Park Plaza Hotel in Lahore, alleged the judges didn’t have enough
knowledge of Pakistani food and were destined from the beginning to pick
an Indian to win.
The judges included a British chef, an Indian food critic and a
Bollywood actress of Pakistani and French descent.
Another member of the team, Akhtar Rehman, a chef at the Marriott Hotel
in Islamabad, said concerns about the judges were fairly widespread on
the Pakistani side, but Naeem was the only one to quit.
It remains to be seen whether the music competition _ Sur Kshetra, or
Musical Battlefield _ also will spark ill will.
The contest, which is being filmed in Dubai, is scheduled to air in
Pakistan and India starting in mid-February, said Mohammed Zeeshan Khan,
a general manager at Pakistan’s Geo TV, which is developing the show.
”Music can unite people across borders and bring them closer together,”
said Khan.
The competition will include teams of six musicians from each country
between the ages of 18 and 27.
The teams will be mentored by two well-known pop singers and actors,
Pakistani Atif Aslam and Indian Himesh Reshammiya. They will compete
across a range of genres, including jazz, pop, rock and qawwali _
traditional Sufi Muslim ballads that are popular in both countries, said
Khan.
The grand prize is still being worked out, but Khan said the winner can
claim to be ”the new musical icon for the subcontinent.”
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