Photographs:OlivesFromSpainolivesfromspain.in olivesfromspainindia olivesfromspainindiaIndia’s first Super Chef, television show host with a title in the Limca Book of Records, an
experiencedrunner,andamanwhobreathesfood–SaranshGoilawearsmanyhatsbesideshis
toque. Here’s a glimpse of how he embarked on his food journey (literally!) and wound up
experimentingwithSpanisholivesintheIndiancuisine.
Chef Saransh Goila:
The Ambassador of Good Health.
And of Olives from Spain
Abrandambassadorofolives from
Spain,ChefSaranshGoilalivesforfood.
Whiletravelling20,000kmacrossIndia
by road within 100 days, to explore
India’srichfoodheritageandlearnfrom
localfamilies livinginremote regions,
headaptedtheirfoodcultureon-the-go
to invent something of his own that
would still resonate with the local
people.Heembarkedonthisjourneyas
ahostforIndia’sbiggestfoodtravelogue
show, ‘Roti, Rasta aur India’ which
securedhimaplaceintheLimcaBookof
Records, 2014 forbeingthefirstchefto
conquerthisfeat.
“Every 100 km,thefoodwe
eat changes - the flavour,
colour, produce - basically
everything. There is so
much to explore and
discover.It(Indian)is
acuisineyou’llnever
get tired of. So my
love for Indian
foodgrowsbythe
day as it never
ceases to amaze
me,” shares the
chef enthusiastically.
Chef Saransh has been a runner for
several years, but a runner with a
difference.“Runningislike meditation
for people who cannot meditate. I
startedrunningafterahiatusofabout
seven years and would post about it
wheneverIwentonasprintorventured
out to binge – largely exploring new
breakfastplacesinthecity–taggingit
#RunToEat. Realising that there were
manywhocouldn'tgiveupeatingtoo,I
startedusingthehashtagtoencourage
foodies to follow suit.” Through his
#RunToEatinitiative,peoplehavebegun
toleadfitterlives,wheretheyindulgein
theirfavouritefoods,whilealsoburning
thecalories that are being consumed
-all through running. Saransh
recommends running as the easiest
sport to adopt since it requires no
specific skill set and believes it is
a simple way to build a healthier
lifestyle.
Duringhistravels,ChefSaranshalso
discovered the Mediterranean
cuisine,especiallytheversatile
olivesgrownonSpanishsoil-
andfellinlove.Hiskeensense
of flavours told him that this
juicyfruithadthepotentialtobea
fitting ingredient for
Indian cooking,to
provide a twistto
traditionaldishes.“Idecidedthentoexperimentwiththe
productandstartedtofigureouthowto
integrateitinIndiancuisineandhowto
make snacks and pickles with truly
Indianflavors.AsIwascaptivatedbyits
juicytexture,Istartedtothinkhowto
makepicklesfollowingtheIndianpickle
tradition using olives as the core
producttouse.”
TheSpanisholiveculturefascinatedthe
chefanditpavedthewayforhisIndian
innovations like Mulagapodi olives,
Achariolives,OrangeandChaatMasala
olives and a lotmore. The inspiration
comes from studying the variety of
olivesinSpain,acountrywithtradition
inproducinggreenand blackvarieties
and in stuffing olives with up to 80
differentingredientssuchasredpepper,
anchovies, almonds, tuna... just to
nameafewpossibilities.Italsocomes
from the wide range of spices and
ingredients that Spanish olives are
curedandpickledwithinSpain.
KnowingthatSpainisamarket leader
forthisproduct,wheregrowingolivesis
adeep-rootedtraditionalactivity,Chef
Saranshhasfullfaithinthequalityand
flavoursofthisnutritiousfruit.Itisthis
trust that led him to become a
supporter and brand ambassador for
olives from Spain in India, as his
interestingjourneycontinues-tomarry
theSpanishOlivewithIndiancooking.
YoucanfindChefSaranshrecipeswith
olives from Spain at the website
http://www.olivesfromspain.in