By Vernika Awal

“I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream!”

Honestly, I (or probably many of us) can never forget this line from our childhood. It’s rich in the emotions of being a carefree child, of one that sums up a near-irrational fondness for ice cream, aptly. I remember being incredibly fascinated by ice-cream carts, when our ice-cream bhaiya would blow a very typical whistle as he entered our lane. It’s something that has turned into a leitmotif for me, and is one that persists even today. Variants such as ‘softy’, ‘mango dolly’, ice lolly’ and ‘cassata’ were favourites for all of us, to a point where it remains a joyous source of unbridled nostalgia for most of us even today.

However, the pace and standards of our lives have changed manifold over the past three decades. While such ‘old school’ ice creams still rule the market en masse in suburban areas and tier II cities and beyond, the bustling Indian metros are witnessing a steady ice-cream revolution of sorts. This is bringing artisanal ice-creams and ice-cream makers to the fore, replacing the mass market brands of Amul, Vadilal, Kwality Walls and the likes.

My first tryst with a then-unconventional ice cream was alphonso mango at Natural’s in Mumbai, which made me an instant convert. The absence of synthetic flavours, coupled with the fact that the ice-cream wasn’t frozen solid or too liquidy, but was what we know today as the perfect ice-cream texture, was something that was rare back then, to say the least. It is this knowledge of ice creams that is being paired with old school nostalgia by the artisanal ice cream makers, who are today in the limelight.

The rise of the new-age ice cream

The trick for artisanal ice creams lies with the levels of technical detail and intricacies in them, hence distinguishing the new-age ones from the traditional, commercial ice creams. Kaushal Bavishi of Trayog, an upcoming artisanal ice cream brand based in Mumbai, explains that the key changes in India’s ice cream consumption lie in flavour ranges, natural ingredients, milk vs hydrogenated vegetable fat, price acceptance and the rise of special ingredients brands.

“Originally, the market was dominated by the predictable triumvirate of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, with mango, butterscotch and kesar pista close on their heels. This situation has been turned on its head. With the rise of Natural’s and its countless imitators, the demand for fresh fruit ice-cream flavours has gone through the roof,” says Bavishi. He further adds that today, there are several brands that are making small batch ice-creams using the best ingredients, even exotic ones. These brands are also catering to special dietary groups such as high protein, sugar-free etc, which all contribute to an emerging ice cream revolution in India.

A key reason behind the rise in demand for such specific ice-cream flavours has to do with families, their feelings of being displaced from their roots, and the search for their true identities. My family, for instance, is biased towards kulfi -- something that can be traced back to medieval times, when refrigeration techniques were yet to be invented. The humble kulfi is made by flavouring milk and then reducing it by slow-cooking, and cooling -- in freezers today, and in dug-up holes surrounded by insulation in olden days.

Today, the kulfi is something that’s often served with a classy makeover, with all the convenience of a metropolitan ice-cream bar. This works for individuals like me, who have been displaced from their roots, and yet find great nostalgia in ice-creams such as the almond and pistachio kulfi on wooden sticks -- something that’s signature to northern India.

So, how do these flavours come along?

Mother-daughter duo, Sucheta and Asha Thakur, today run an experimental ice-cream business under their homegrown brand, Icekreamskee. Explaining the source of their inspirations, Sucheta says, “You’ll see stuff like cinnamon, sea salt-vanilla, lemongrass with ginger praline, traditional Gujarati ukaado and much more under our label. Our inspiration behind an off-beat ice-cream flavour comes from literally anywhere -- we may be in a restaurant trying some new flavours, and we’d immediately go back and try converting them into ice creams. Our inspirations also come through the books that my mother reads, or international food shows where we get to see interesting flavours.”

Trayog’s Bavishi agrees, stating that at the end of the day, it is all about giving the consumer a taste of a flavour profile that they may not have experienced before. At Trayog, Bavishi says that one key inspiration comes from international ice-cream flavours not seen in India, such as popcorn or black sesame. Another source of inspiration comes from traditional Indian sweets -- something that many artisanal ice cream brands are going after.

“We have also taken inspiration from flavour combinations that people love, and not necessarily in desserts or sweet forms. This source of inspiration has given us our most shocking and polarising flavours, such as sol kadhi (tangy Maharashtrian dish with kokum and buttermilk) and garam masala (roasted, ground blend of multiple spices),” Bavishi adds.

A demand for off-beat flavours?

Trayog’s Bavishi says that while nostalgia plays its part, there is plenty of potential in the market for promoting unconventional, off-beat flavours in ice creams. “If we do a flavour that's indulgent and authentic, however off-beat it may be -- it will find its takers,” he says.

At the moment, this trend, albeit not widespread, is a steadily growing one. Madhusudan Parikh, founder of ice-cream brand Artiste, affirms this. As he says, “The trend for natural ingredients is limited to a certain class of consumers found mostly in the metros. However, the consumer base is certainly increasing, and is expected to grow multifold in the near future.”

Before the trend melts away

While the artisanal makers are here, one cannot deny the fact that the popular flavours will continue to flourish in the mass market. However, the unconventional take on ice-creams in India is certainly here to stay. Deepa Ravi, home chef and an avid Instagrammer, is an ideal example, who has found worth in home-made and highly customised ice creams.

Talking about the push behind her own ice-creams, Ravi says, “I could achieve creamy and delicious ice-cream at home without adding eggs or stabilizers or any chemical additives. While I realize the shelf life would be short, the whole idea of making it at home in small batches is not to store indefinitely but to enjoy it immediately.”

Growth of such ice creams is slated to rise steadily in India. Bavishi says that rising disposable incomes would also contribute to more individuals being willing to pay more for a nostalgic, authentic flavour experience of dishes that aren’t readily available -- albeit via ice creams.

There is also a school of thought that considers artisanal flavours to be a fad, but most believe that it won’t be so if chefs push the envelope in terms of the perception behind ice-cream flavours. The audience in India is more eager to experiment with flavours, and it’s time to see if the makers cater to them before the trend melts away.