G20 dinner: Millet-based cuisine by ITC served for world leaders

NEW DELHI: A bouquet of millets-based vegetarian cuisine by ITC hotel chains is on the menu served for world leaders who have converged in India for the G20 summit. Two women chefs from ITC Sheraton New Delhi have displayed as many as 20 dishes all prepared from millets. The dishes were inspired by the “Mission Millets” initiative of ITC hotel chains.

The United Nations declared the year 2023 as the International Year of the Millet, following a proposal by India, which wants to position itself as a global hub for Millet. The dishes that are on the menu of all ITC hotels include some like the Avocado and Pearl Millet Salad as well as Jowar and Jackfruit Haleem which according to ITC were well appreciated by the spouses of the visiting heads of G20 states, including Akshata Murty, the First Lady of the United Kingdom.

Millets are also the most secure crops for small farmers as they are resilient and climate-adaptable in both hot and drought environments. India produces all the nine commonly known traditional millets viz. Sorghum, Pearl Millet, Finger Millet, Foxtail Millet, Proso Millet, Little Millet, Barnyard Millet, Browntop Millet and Kodo Millet.

The lobby of the hotel featured hand-painted 'Alpona' designs on terracotta earthen pots with traditional Indian flowers - a remarkable representation of India's rich cultural heritage, environmental consciousness, and commitment to sustainability - the theme for G20 India.

On Saturday, about 170 guests attended a G20 special dinner at the Bharat Mandapam, hosted by President Murmu. The menu of the official dinner featured several millet based dishes. According to a statement given by G20 India’s Special Secretary Muktesh Pardeshi to ANI, the catering at the venue, where the G20 Summit meetings are held is being done by the ITC hotel chain.

Also, on Saturday, the first ladies and spouses of G20 member countries experienced the agricultural prowess of India first-hand, in a one-of-a-kind exhibition organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Campus in Pusa in the national capital.

The event featured a range of captivating components, such as a millet-focused live cooking session led by celebrity chefs Kunal Kapur, Anahita Dhondy, and Ajay Chopra, as well as a display of cutting-edge agricultural technology from prominent Indian startups, interaction with Indian women agri-champions at the ‘Agri-Street’. 

 Spouses of G20 heads of state had a brief pitstop at the ‘Rangoli Area’, which featured two massive ‘Millet Rangolis’.

The government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for declaring the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets and the proposal of India was supported by 72 countries.

Millet is a common term for categorizing small-seeded grasses that are often called Nutri-cereals. Most of the states in India grow one or more millet crop species.

Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana are the major millets producing states.