October 10, 2007

Chicken now the "poor man's diet" in India

Chicken has turned into the poor man's non-vegetarian food of choice in India, according to The Hindu, India's national paper.

Decades ago, prawns and crabs, were considered a poor man's delicacy in rural areas while chicken was the up-market non-vegetarian delicacy for food connoisseurs

No longer. The roles have now been reversed and prawn and crab are now out of reach of the poor peasant, the paper reported. 

M.Khan, a cook at a city hotel, told the Hindu there was a time when people used to visit hotels to eat chicken. Chicken was supposedly not being cooked at home due to some taboo, as such it was considered an up-market food.

With abundant chicken supplies, the dish has now lost its uniqueness.

Chicken is now more affordable than vegetables and fish and half the price of mutton, according to the Hindu.

Three hundred fifty grammes of chicken in India costs Rs. 25 (US$0.63), enough to serve a family of five, whereas crabs and prawns sell at over Rs. 200 per kilogramme, nearly three times the price of chicken.

While chicken shops remained open until late at night serving labourers returning home,  prawns and crabs are now served in feasts held by the upper class.

Despite their high prices, prawns are now in great demand, especially the larger-sized ones. No gathering is now complete without a prawn dish, the paper said.