What makes for good camera cuisine? Ask a seasoned food photographer and they are likely to tell you that fantastic food porn comes from three things: a chef’s ability to plate, good angles and just a few tricks – like using half-cooked chicken for that luscious pink, glycerin for gloss and more.
No longer. Today anyone with a smartphone is a photographer, and any dish that makes it to the table is a possible candidate for the next camera-worthy cuisine – or, in social media lingo: “Instagrammable”.
And the beauty of it all: it isn’t only the picture perfect dishes that make it to social stardom – the not-so good ones stand out too. The method in this madness is that a few are clicked always, says ace food blogger Suprio Bose, “and that is what makes the difference between the worthy and the not-so-worthy ones.”
Fascinatingly, in all this – adds Bose – “taste, the otherwise benchmark of a good dish, has an invisible role to play – at least the first time.”
That Perfect Taste & Texture Wedlock
So can we partly assume that camera-friendly dishes are just pleasing to the eye and not the appetite? Curiously not, says molecular gastronomy rockstar Chef Abhijit Saha (Caperberry):
“Taste and texture are the two foundations on which the concept of most dishes are built. Only when you can wed them well, will you have a dish worthy for the eye and the palate.”
Chef Saha’s Mushroom Four Ways and Patata Bravas are excellent cases in point of the taste-texture wedlock that are Instagrammable too! In fact, what’s noteworthy in his current menu is yet another element of excellent camera cuisine these days – molecular gastronomy.
The beauty of molecular gastronomy – which isn’t limited to foams, spheres, caviars and liquid nitrogen – is that it adds flavour and texture to a dish. The trick is how cleverly you can use it without being in your face. Like foam enhances flavour, while spheres encapsulate multiple tastes.Abhijit Saha, Chef, Caperberry
In his case, it is the sous vide technique, which he uses extensively to cook meat and seafood “because it doesn’t dry the meat instantly.”
But does it make for good camera? While Chef Saha calls it an “incidental addition” that has gone popular, culinary legend, Chef Manish Mehrotra (Indian Accent) feels it works only if it adds value. Chef Manish’s famous Meetha Achaar Spare Ribs and Daulat ki Chaat are examples of how creatively presented dishes too can win the limelight.
Simply presented, the Daulat ki Chaat works because of sheer novelty and “the memory connect” – just like the Doda Barfi Treacle Tart, which is served “warmed in the microwave, drizzled with cream and vanilla ice cream”. It was this connect that made Parle G Cheesecake and the Rasmalai Tres Leche, a ‘camera success’.
Why the ‘Story’ Behind the Meal is All-Important
The reason behind the popularity of both these dishes is that each brings two important things together: nostalgia and a story. A dish, in order to be really innovative, needs to tell a story – not just taste-wise but also through its texture. Once that design is clear, then the use of spheres, foams or even dust is a matter of creating a film-like experience.Zorawar Kalra, Owner, Masala Library and Farzi Café
Fascinatingly, says seasoned Chef Bakshish Dean – “The ‘connect with the dish’ isn’t limited to nostalgia – a colourful platter can be equally interesting, much like a messy dish. It’s about how quickly a chef can get his guest on the same page as he is.”
Concurs restaurateur Gauri Devidayal (The Table):
“If you look at the food and you want to preserve it as a memory and then devour it – the dish is Instagram worthy.”
(Madhulika Dash has been a seasoned food appreciator and leading columnist who writes on Indian cuisines across different platforms, for over two decades. She has also been on the food panel of MasterChef India Season 4.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)