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Around Town: Mumbai’s burgeoning passion for Mexican food sees huge names enter through Mezcalita, Pompa, and Lyla.

A variety of reasons have contributed to Mexican cuisine’s popularity among Indians, as seen by the expanding number of Mexican restaurants in Mumbai.
Have you noticed a rise in the number of Mexican eateries in Mumbai?

You’re not alone.Last year, restaurateurs Vicky Singh and Rizwan Amlani opened Mezcalita, a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar on Veer Nariman Road, with bright colors inspired by the region’s vivid cantina tradition. In December, the Tham brothers Keenan and Ryan, along with Saamir Chandnani, debuted the vibrant Pompa on Bandra’s Linking Road. Chrome Hospitality, renowned for Gigi, has opened Lyla, a Mexican-Californian-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant.

What is it about Mexican food that appeals to Mumbai residents? It turned out to be a mix of circumstances.

A lesson on culinary culture

“If you look at any worldwide cuisine, Mexican maybe has more similarity with Indian food than any other,” says Singh, adding, “When it comes to flavor profile, sourness, acidity, and dairy are fundamental to Mexican cuisine.

To some extent, they serve as the foundation of Indian cuisine.” Singh must have a sense of déjà vu. In 2008, he opened Sanchos, which was recognized as Mumbai’s first freestanding Mexican restaurant. A Mexican chef was in charge of the kitchen, same like at Mezcalita.In terms of cuisine, Pablo Benitez, executive chef at Mezcalita and a professor of Mexican pre-Hispanic cuisine, emphasizes the gastronomic relationship between India and Mexico because they are positioned on the same geographical axis even if they are at opposite ends of the earth.

Also Read| Reforming the Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance: Discovery of 18 New Enterococcus Types

He draws comparisons between the cuisines, saying, “When it comes to street food, Mexico has tostadas and India has sev puri.” Tacos are similar to bhaji and chapati; we stack them and consume them individually. Our burritos resemble your kathi rolls. We both use pestle and mortar. Noting that vegetarianism is prevalent in both food cultures, he emphasizes that both cuisines are distinguished by robust flavors and extensive use of spices. “Whether it’s cumin, coriander, or chilli powder, we love a good kick in our cuisine. Both cultures excel in making delicious appetizers, whether quesadillas and tamales or samosas and pakoras. “It’s all about the right balance of savory, spicy, and crunchy,” he says.

The wave isn’t new

While Mexican food is now receiving a lot of attention, it is far from new to the city’s culinary scene. Historians trace Mumbai’s first exposure with the food back to the 1980s, when the President Hotel held a pop-up. According to restaurateurs, in the early 2000s, two five-star hotels opened Mexican restaurants on their properties. Since then, several restaurants have developed, notably Poco Loco, which has built a reputation for delivering excellent Tex-Mex food, a fusion of Texan-American cuisine that includes nachos, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas.

“Inherently, tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and burritos are familiar to Mumbai residents; they have long been a part of the gastronomic scene and will remain so. Many families in India have been making their own versions of these recipes at home,” says Keenan. Along with his brother Ryan, he is recognized for carrying on the family history and launching Asian cuisine businesses such as Koko and Foo.

Keenan’s decision to go into Mexican cuisine with Pompa was motivated by a perceived market vacuum. “We are in the business of giving experiences. “I wanted to provide an experience in which people could enjoy authentic Mexican food and cocktails in a welcoming environment,” he says. With fringe-adorned seats, walls covered in Mexican fabrics, and brilliant reds and greens accenting the design, Pompa takes diners to another planet while being firmly rooted in Mumbai.Mezcalita offers an equally immersive experience, incorporating the region’s vibrancy into its architectural aspects and recently hosting a traditional Mariachi band.

Lyla offers a somewhat different perspective. Lyla, with its elegant ambiance and food by chef Beena Noronha, specializes in Mexican-Californian gastronomy with a focus on ingredients. “This cuisine is quite popular and focuses on appreciating products such as avocado, mango, chili, and shellfish. I’m adopting a new approach, utilizing the same elements in unique ways. While the dish is real, it may not perfectly follow tradition. For example, we serve savory churros,” Noronha notes, stressing that she intends to avoid Tex-Mex food owing to market saturation.

Tequila in and cactus out.

It’s also worth noting that Mexican cuisine is frequently served with tequila, which is becoming increasingly popular across the world. Many, if not all, of the drinks at Mezcalita, Pompa, and Lyla have tequila as a foundation component.

“Tequila, being Agave-based and originating in Mexico, naturally compliments the food. Its appeal originates from two factors: many people wrongly assume it is low in calories and has a very neutral flavor profile. Furthermore, much as single malt in Scotland is prized for its smoothness, tequila and gin, both originating in tropical places, tend to complement our bodies and lifestyles,” Singh explains.Despite its popularity, the usage of cactus, which is essential to Mexican cuisine, has yet to become widespread in our local eating scene.

Chef Benitez of Mezcalita notes, “While cactus is a mainstay in Mexican cuisine and much liked, it can be an acquired taste for some. Despite its popularity in Mexico,It is not a widely used substance across the world.” He also mentions that the cactus is sensitive and requires careful care.Pompa’s difficulty stems from a shortage of supplies. “I intended to include it into a salad, but the supply chain for cactus appears to be extremely tough. It’s unexpected because we grow a lot of cactus in India, especially in the north-west,” adds Keenan, who is actively looking for suppliers and plans to bring cactus recipes in the future.

Reforming the Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance: Discovery of 18 New Enterococcus Types

In an era when antibiotic resistance threatens to become one of the major causes of death by 2050, a ground-breaking finding casts a light of hope on the impending global health problem. A team of dedicated scientists, lead by Michael S. Gilmore of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, has discovered 18 previously undiscovered types of Enterococcus bacteria. This discovery, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, not only increases the known variety of this species by more than 25%, but it also adds hundreds of new genes to the scientific community’s armory against multidrug-resistant diseases.

Discovering New Frontiers in Antibiotic Resistance

The finding was no little accomplishment. An worldwide team of researchers, including Ashlee Earl of Broad’s Bacterial Genomics Group, set out on treks to some of the world’s most isolated locations. From the cold seas of the sub-Antarctic to the lush greenery of the Brazilian jungle, these scientists gathered samples that would eventually contribute to a breakthrough in our knowledge of antibiotic resistance.

Their findings not only highlight the natural reservoirs of enterococci, including antibiotic-resistant species, in insects and other invertebrates, but also emphasize the importance of global biodiversity in seeking novel solutions to the dilemma.

A View into the Ancient World of Enterococci.

This investigation into enterococci has found that these bacteria have lived with terrestrial mammals for around 425 million years. The study’s thorough collecting technique not only revealed novel types of bacterial toxins, but also highlighted enterococci’s flexibility and resilience, particularly their capacity to withstand antibiotics. Understanding how resistance genes transfer to hospital germs, posing a substantial danger to human health, allows scientists to investigate novel techniques to monitoring and combating drug-resistant infections more efficiently.

Upcoming Challenges and Opportunities

The discovery of these 18 new Enterococcus bacterium species opens up new options for study and development in the battle against antibiotic resistance, but it also highlights the size of the problem ahead. Enterococcus infections, which are particularly deadly after surgery and in hospitalized patients, cost the healthcare system more than $30 billion each year. The global health community is now responsible for not just studying the complicated biology of these novel species, but also converting that information into practical ways to halt the tide of antibiotic resistance

Also Read| A study linked ultra-processed foods to gut health risks.

As the globe grapples with the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, Gilmore’s team’s finding is a watershed moment in the road to protect global health. By adding hundreds of new genes from these ancient microorganisms to our genetic library, scientists get crucial information that might possibly transform how we fight illnesses. The fight against antibiotic resistance is far from ended, but with ongoing investment in research and innovation, there is optimism on the horizon.

A study linked ultra-processed foods to gut health risks.

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, researchers summarized existing understanding on the effects of food additives and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) on gut health.

ultra-processed foods to gut health risks.



As ultra-processed foods and food additives become more prevalent in the world’s diets, they have been linked to negative gut outcomes such as changes in microbial communities and intestinal permeability, which can lead to chronic inflammation or diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and colorectal cancer. However, human intervention research on this area is scarce.

Identification of ultra-processed foods

Nutritionists utilize criteria to define foods as UPFs, including how different an item is from the original unprocessed foodstuff, how it is processed, if additives were used, whether it was professionally created rather than handmade, and whether it was used for appearance or convenience.

However, differing classification schemes make comparisons difficult; the most common is used by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and includes powdered and packaged meals, carbonated soft drinks, and sweetened morning cereals as UPFs. However, some items, like as wholemeal bread and plant-based animal substitutes, are frequently regarded as healthful while meeting UPF standards.

UPF consumption and intestinal health.

While UPFs are common, there are significant variances across people and nations. In the United States, UPF consumption contributes for 59.7% and 67% of total energy intake in adults and young individuals.

Individual variables related with higher UPF consumption include female sex, younger age, poorer income, lesser education, living alone, being overweight or obese, reduced physical activity, and mealtime screen use.

People that eat more UPFs had higher levels of free sugars, saturated fats, and calories in their diets, but less dietary fiber, protein, and micronutrients. Vegetarians and vegans are more likely to eat UPFs, whereas individuals on Mediterranean diets ingest less.

Controlling for dietary quality and food intake, evidence of links between UPF consumption and illness exists. However, UPF intake from fruit yogurts, fortified morning cereals, and wholemeal bread is better than UPF consumption from ready meals, burgers, and pastries.

Cohort studies have revealed a link between UPF consumption and increased mortality and morbidity from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Observational studies reveal associations with depression, metabolic syndrome, overweight, and obesity. These impacts are most likely due to processing, rather than UPFs’ nutritional and energy content.

Effects of Food Additives

Sweeteners, colors, stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickeners, and gelling agents are all examples of food additives. There is a lot of overlap between UPFs and food additives since anything containing a commercial food ingredient is considered a UPF. Mechanistic research on the influence of food additives on the microbiota have included animal and in vitro experiments, with few human population studies.

In vitro studies demonstrate that emulsifiers like polysorbate 80 can induce bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, whilst carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) can transport germs across in vitro epithelial cells. This might result in chronic inflammatory illness, as proven in mouse studies. In mice, consumption of CMC and polysorbate 80 was linked to tumor growth and anxiety-like behaviors.

Artificial sweeteners, which pass through the gastrointestinal tract but are not digested, come into direct touch with the gut flora, but this has not been well investigated in people. However, in vitro and animal studies have shown that sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin can alter the microbiota, affect gut permeability, shorten colonic length, and increase mortality.

However, they were short-term experiments with far larger dosages than those used in humans. An observational research on humans discovered no variations in microbiota intake after four days of sweetener use, but did not account for baseline diet or dose-response associations.

Conclusion

There is significant evidence that UPFs and food additives cause negative health consequences, however methodological discrepancies and deficiencies in human studies must be resolved. The authors emphasize the need of high-quality research for interpreting the effects of dietary treatments. As UPF availability and use grow, public health policy should prioritize ultra-processed foods reformulation and consumer behavior.


(Health Care),IndiaDotCom Digital has announced the return of TheHealthSite.com Summit.

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These workshops will dig into critical aspects of India’s healthcare landscape, including the integration of Artificial Intelligence, the strengthening of healthcare infrastructure, and the precise meeting of women’s healthcare demands.

TheHealthSite.com Health Summit 2024 aims to galvanise stakeholders behind the common goal of building a resilient and inclusive healthcare ecosystem. Through serious discussions and practical accomplishments, the summit exemplifies the power of collaborative involvement in altering India’s healthcare trajectory toward more efficiency and fairness.

The principal guest for the summit’s keynote session will be K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). He will discuss critical issues such as the impact of HIV/AIDS, the function of PHFI as a think tank, and the need for disability-inclusive development in healthcare.

R V Asokan, national president of the Indian Medical Association, will be the guest of honor, sharing his important ideas on how to make healthcare more accessible to all. The conference will also include prominent healthcare experts like as Rajiv Goswami, Shafiq Ahmed, Tapaswani Pradhan, Sunil Kohli, and Rahul Chandok, who will offer their perspectives on AI in healthcare, the relevance of health infrastructure, and women’s health.

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TheHealthSite.com Health Summit 2024 intends to generate important discussions and collaborative activities to achieve #AyushmanIndia’s healthcare goal.

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