Chicken biryani tops online orders list; dosa, naan follow

New Delhi: Indians have become more open to experimenting with global cuisines but when it comes to ordering online, desi dishes continue to rule the roost, with ‘chicken biryani’ topping the list, according to a survey. Masala dosa, butter naan, tandoori roti and paneer butter masala complete the list of the top five most ordered items of 2017, the survey by online food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy said.

Although pizza, a highly sought-after item of the millennials, was the most searched dish on its platform, it did not find a place in the top five list, according to ‘Stateatstics 2017’ released by Swiggy. “In fact, Indians have searched for it over 5 lakh times! The other searched items include Burger, Chicken, Cake and Momos,” it added.

According to the survey, over the past couple of years, India has witnessed a growing appetite for both Indian and international cuisine. “In 2017, while Indians showed an interest in exploring and experimenting with their food choices, most stayed indigenous as desi dishes topped the list of most-ordered food items online,” the survey said.

It further added: “Chicken Biryani continued to rule the palate. Masala Dosa, Butter Naan, Tandoori Roti and Paneer Butter Masala rounded off the top five most ordered items of 2017.” The findings are derived from Swiggy’s order analysis for the last 12 months for Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.

For breakfast, southern dishes masala dosa, idli and vada ruled the menu for most Indians, while for “primary meals like lunch and dinner, most people preferred Biryanis (chicken, mutton and veg) followed by Paneer Butter Masala and Masala Dosa, Dal Makhani and Chicken Fried Rice”.

While for snacks, Indians munched the most on pav bhaji, French fries, samosas, chicken roll, chicken burger and bhel puri. In Mumbai, pav bhaji remained on the top, while most cities had chicken biryani as their most ordered food item.

“Delhi and Gurgaon chose to order more of Dal Makhani and Naan, suggesting that local cuisines in each of these regions take precedence,” it said, adding “On the other hand, New Delhi also sees the maximum amount of Pasta being ordered vis-a-vis other cities.”

In Kolkata, people preferred to order biryanis and fried rice for their meals and kachoris for breakfast and snacks, while, in Chennai, it was pongal and biryanis. In Pune, people preferred dal khichdi over biryani for lunch and most Bangaloreans preferred South Indian basics for breakfast and chicken biryani for meals.