Nom nom nom: Would you care for white, black or red burger?
As the trend of red, black and white burgers catches on, we look at how they are made and ask experts what they think about it.
In 2012, a fast-food chain in Japan gave birth to a new kind of a burger called the Black Burger, which was available for a limited time period. The burger made a strong culinary statement in the market, therefore, it was reintroduced in 2013, in Japan and also in the US. This time, it became quite a rage. The burger’s success then gave birth to the red burger.
This summer, the black and red burger finally made its debut in India, making it the only the third country in the world to serve it. So far it is only being served at Barcelos, a restaurant in Khan Market.
The method of creation in India is different, it deviates from the global norm. Internationally, bamboo charcoal is used to blacken the bun and cheese to create the black burger. Black pepper is sprinkled on the patties, while the sauce is made with garlic and onion. As for the red burger, tomato powder is used to give the fiery red colour and the red sauce is made from meso and hot pepper.
However, for the Indian market, the process is different. Rohit Malhotra, the GM of the restaurant reveals: “Most people are unaware that bamboo charcoal is an edible product and due to lack of awareness customers may not be attracted to the product. Hence, we have slightly changed the process and kept it simple.”
Following on the colour craze, the white burger was also released recently in India. Chef Sabyasachi Gorai says that “this recent trend does sound interesting for regular customers. However, I don’t advocate any kind of colour being used in food. Even if natural colours are being used, how do we know if they are healthy or not?
* The trend does sound fancy, but I’ll always have my doubts. I understand the need to constantly come up with something new, but the means to achieve that end should always justify
Chef Nishant Choubey
* As long as the food is healthy to consume, I don’t mind. However, it does pose a question that for the purpose of innovation to attract more customers how far is one willing to go?
Chef Manish Mehrotra