We Indians adapted the Chinese cuisine in such a way that Indo-Chinese became a distinctive cuisine in itself. A similar shift is underway in Americanized fast food such as burgers, pizza, and subways. Yes, this time more than a quarter of the menus of top QSRs such as Pizza Hut, Dominos, Subway, McDonald’s, and KFC are ‘Indianised’.
“Major international brands such as Subway, McDonald’s, Domino’s, KFC, and Burger King have included on their menus a wide range of products specifically developed for the Indian palate. This will increase the overall demand,” says Sharekhan’s report. India’s QSR market is expected to grow 23% over the next three years due to a surge in post-pandemic orders through aggregator platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy.
Domino’s Pizza, Subway, McDonald’s, and Burger King Target Indian Taste Buds
KFC’s Biryani Baguette Combo i.e., chicken drumsticks are served with seasoned sauce and flavored rice is an Indian alternative to rice with strips. Well, Burger King offers the most native Indian menu items. With more than 40% offerings such as the veg makhani burst burger, tikki twist burger, and the aloo tikki burger. Dominos 24% of the menu is Indianized with dishes like achaari pizza, kadhai paneer pizza, peppy paneer pizza, etc. In fact, KFC’s menu also has 30% of the Indianized menu. It offers chicken biryani and Hyderabadi biryani that comes with gravies also.
McDonald’s Also Introduced A Chatpata Spice Mix
McDonald’s also introduced a chatpata spice mix similar to Peri Peri’s blend. The tandoor version is the most popular addition, to pizzas, burgers, submenus, and salads. This applies to both veggie and non-veg menus. Certain outlets are responding to India’s love for spices and flavors by combining Indian options such as Mexican aloo tikki with other international menus. Love pizza but do not want to gain weight? This paneer pizza will get you sorted
But this time the change is more systemic, driven by QSRs rather than the dhaba and hawkers that fueled the Indochinese culinary revolution.
Also read: India has more KFC and pizza huts than Canada and Mexico