Chef Fanny Lopez Ruano. Head Chef – R&D at Frozen Fun Gelato, an Italian Gelato brand based in Delhi NCR shares her experiences being in India and her approach to fusion food.
Italian gelato may still be a niche category in India, but for Chef Fanny Lopez Ruano, the country has become a playground of flavours and learning for her. She has created some interesting fusion Gelatos using Indian ingredients, which have really been liked by connoisseurs of frozen desserts during Diwali.
“I came with an open mind to India and I am really loving it,” she said opening the conversation on the sidelines of an Italian Artisanal Gelato supply chain workshop organised as part of the celebration of the ‘Week of Italian Cuisine in the World’ by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in Delhi recently.
For Chef Ruano, fusion is not just a creative choice, but a necessity. With Indian desserts being so rich, varied and culturally rooted, gelato must evolve to find its place. “Fusion is the key… you cannot come to another country and say my way is better than yours. It will never work.”
Her limited-edition Coconut Burfi Gelato, created for Diwali this year, was a runaway success. “When I did the coconut burfi gelato, I didn’t use condensed milk; I put more fresh cream. It’s a fusion between my Italian way and your Indian way.” She said that fusion is possible without compromising on the authenticity of the product.
She said that she came to discover India and learn about its food, ingredients and flavours. Among the Indian street food, Chef Ruano was most inspired by ‘Paani-Puri’ and the flavour of Indian tamarind. She said that creating a fusion Gelato using Indian Tamarind is one of her ambitious projects. “It’s a challenging one, but I am working on it,” she informed.
“Gelato is a niche product at the moment in India, and even the price makes it challenging because we are importing everything,” she said, explaining why consumers often question its cost and how it differs from normal ice cream.
She said that they had to do a lot of explaining about the product, how it is different from ice creams and why it is expensive, etc. initially. “India has a very good tradition of food, but people don’t really understand how to read a label or what they are eating. But what I like about you as a country is that you want to know. The more you want to know, the more you get information.”
Having spent about two years in India, the young Italian chef feels that the experience has shaped her personally and professionally. “When I leave India, if it happens, I will be carrying with me a whole lot of interesting experiences and knowledge about Indian food culture.
