Dosa, butter chicken top dishes at Indian restaurants in Poland

Warsaw, August 21

Indian cuisine is remarkably popular in Poland with various Indian restaurants catering to the growing demand for the rich flavours. The Polish diners visiting them say that dishes such as dosa and butter chicken remind them of their travels to India. More than 45 Indian restaurants are offering a variety of traditional food here, with the capital Warsaw having at least a dozen of these, as per the listing of the Embassy of India in Poland.

India and its cuisine are the talk of the town yet again as Warsaw is excited to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will arrive here for his two-day visit on Wednesday. This will be the first official visit of an Indian prime minister to this country in 45 years.

According to Indian restaurant owners, Polish people have developed a liking not just for Indian cuisine but also for its rich culture. “I really like dosa. The best dosa in Warsaw can be found at a restaurant named India Gate. I have travelled to Chennai and Kerala several times and the food here has the authentic taste of South India,” Anna Maria Rozek, a Polish national, told PTI Videos here.

Chandu, the owner of India Gate food chain, said, “Indian food has a lot of spices and every item has a unique flavour. The locals here love butter chicken and mango lassi.” The Polish people also love Indian culture and movies, he added.

Not just Warsaw, Indian restaurants are also popular in cities such as Krakow and Wroclaw, offering a variety of options to satisfy the cravings of foodies in this eastern European country.

Meanwhile, the Indian diaspora in Poland's capital is excited about Modi's visit. Indians, especially students, expressed their delight as they are set to welcome the prime minister.

Gaurav Singh, president of the Indian Students Union, Poland, said: “There is a sense of excitement among people here, especially the youth. The number of Indians is slowly increasing here and a major chunk is that of the students.”

The Gujarati community said they feel proud about having a Gujarati as the prime minister. “We are excited to meet him. In 40 years, this is the second time a prime minister is from Gujarat. The first time an Indian Prime Minister from Gujarat visited Poland was Morarji Desai. I am also from Gujarat and I feel proud,” said Srikant, another Indian living in Poland.

“PM Modi is visiting here, so we are really happy and excited that we will meet him. We are expecting that our visa problems will also be resolved,” said Trusha Bhatt, another Indian in Poland.

India's Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mohamed Mallick said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Poland would give a greater knowledge and understanding of the economic and other possibilities between the two countries.