EUGENIO VIASSA MONTEIRO
At the World Cheese of Brazil, 2026, four Indian cheeses re ceived high praise and medals. Eleftheria Mum bai Gulmarg received the Super Gold medal, and Yak Churpi-Soft received the Gold medal, marking the arrival of Indian cheeses on the global map. Indian cuisine knows how to pair the flavour of cheese with spices or jaggery, making the cheese versatile for modern dishes that experts appreciate. This recognition had al ready occurred with cer tain brands of Indian cof fee, which have won prizes in competitions in France, such as Araku Coffee, which won a Gold Medal in 2018, produced by a large coop erative in the Eastern Ghats near Hyderabad.
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Various brands of whis ky produced in India also gained notoriety, selling at very high prices in London and New York, most are single malt. Some years ago, nobody would have even thought of trying cheese or coffee from India, much less whis kies! Because there were always countries that stood out for their good cheese, like France or Switzerland. In coffee, European colo nising countries like Italy or Belgium dominated the business. And in whiskies, clearly the United Kingdom or Scotland. Besides these 3 prod ucts, many others are emerging because the very large population with di verse interests also in gas tronomy, can appreciate and begin producing what, according to their criteria, has quality and a unique, well-defined flavour. Along with a large population, there is also a very wealthy segment and a middle class with increasingly stronger purchasing pow er, both seeking exclusive products that meet their taste requirements. How is it that so many products have gained no toriety when just a few years ago, nobody would have considered India? It’s because, until the begin ning of British colonisation, India was one of the rich est countries in the world.
Angus Maddison states that India was the richest country until the 17th cen tury. Furthermore, it states that India produced 27% of the world’s wealth in 1700 (compared to 23% of Eu rope’s wealth) and only 3% in 1950. On the same topic, Wil liam Dalrymple, also Brit ish, states that in 1600 In dia was the richest region, accounting for 22.5% of the world’s wealth. In 1870, af ter the transfer of the East India Company’s power to the British Crown (in 1858), India was plunged into hunger, poverty, and misery, while the United Kingdom became rich with the jewels taken from In dia and presented to the Crown. India’s wealth is the rea son why the Portuguese, with their highly developed seamanship, went to India by new routes, evading the controls and payment of established fees through the traditional routes by the Red Sea or the Mediter ranean, in a long journey fraught with opportunists and dangers of all kinds, eager to profit from the crossing fees.
It was in the 16th century that the transfer of wealth from India to Europe via the Cape of Good Hope reached its peak, with car avels and ships loaded with Indian spices, mainly black pepper, silk and textiles from Gujarat, and precious stones, such as diamonds, sold at high prices in Eu rope, with trade controlled from Lisbon. Please note that it re quired not only the art of seamanship but also the incredible courage to defy the unknown dangers of the seas, the winds, and the diseases typical of those who eat non-fresh products for long periods. Within the scientific spirit of knowing and master ing the winds, currents, and orography, it was also imperative to master the dangers posed by people and diseases. That is what the Portu guese did, and they came to dominate the seas from the Atlantic to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, controlling the points where large scale trade took place, whether in Goa, Hormuz, or Malacca. What other natural or processed products are gaining popularity in the West among discerning consumers? First and fore most are the best-known agricultural products gain ing fame, such as mangoes, in their many selected and subsequently multiplied varieties, like the Alfonso mango (probably named after the Missionary who dedicated himself to isolat ing a highly prized variety), densely planted in Ratna giri (near Goa), and other varieties, Mankurad from Goa, Kesar and Langra, sold at high prices, in special Miyazaki, the very high priced mango in Japan. In dia is the largest producer of mangoes, accounting for more than 50% of global production, which exceeds 25 million metric tons an nually.
India is the largest ba nana producer, accounting for over 26% of the world’s production and more than 35 million tons, mostly for domestic consumption and some for export, primarily of the Cavendish variety, one of the 30 banana vari eties in India. The first Europeans to encounter bananas were the Portuguese, who found them in West Africa in the 15th century. They took the fruit to the Atlantic islands, such as Madeira and the Canary Islands, and later to Brazil and the Caribbean. India is a major glob al agricultural exporter, exceeding US$51 billion in FY25, focusing on rice (40% global export share), spices, marine products, sugar, and, increasingly, processed/value-added foods. Major exports in clude rice (Basmati and non-Basmati), groundnuts, oil meals, and fruits/veg etables, aimed at markets such as the USA, UAE, and China (Cf.Google.com). (The Author is Pro fessor at AESE-Business School (Lisbon), at I.I.M. Rohtak (India), author of The Rise of India)
