Here is the fusion of taste and experience served in a jungle-like inspired dining:
When people stay in a jungle or nature resort, food is not meant only to fill up the stomach, but is great in itself as an experience. Dining is designed here to bind you with the forest fragrance, local culture, and cheerful ambience.
A few dishes inspired by the jungle that they serve:
Tribal Thali
Inspired by tribal traditions more around the forests, this thali really is an experience for any guest.
Serving rice, dal, green vegetables, bamboo shoots curry, and pickles made from local fruits.
Just like a thali from Mountail Eco Resort, prepared that way by the local people for centuries.
Wood Fired Cuisine
Nothing else really represents a true jungle way, all those fragrant smells and tastes from the jungle, than wood fire cooking.
Herb grilled chicken or smoky vegetable skewers have this wonderful flavor and aroma that food cooked over a normal cooking gas doesn’t have.
A bit of wood ash with a hint of smokiness adds some flavor to all these bites.
Local Specialties
No state or region is without an identity, and jungle resorts ensure that it reflects in the menu.
- Puttu and kadala curry start breakfast for a guest in Kerala.
- In the North East region of India, soups and curries made of bamboo shoots and herbs are served.
- Rotis made from millet flour are served with forest herbs in jungle camps in Central India.
Multicultural Menu
Some resorts do not constrain dining to only local foods and may even incorporate an international flair.
Like Disney’s Skipper Canteen, where noodle bowls and stews become international in scope yet fun in presentation with totally jungle-themed names.
Names such as “Nile Nellie’s Noodle Bowl” or “Curried Vegetable Crew Stew” are just part of the way of creating a memorable and fun experience for guests.
How these resorts create a jungle-themed dining experience
Ambience
The dining area is often with natural wood, stone and greenery.
In the background are natural sounds such as running water, crickets or chirping birds.
Sometimes they set tables in open trees or in a kind of artificial cave-like setting.
Location – Dining in the lap of nature
- Candle-light dinner at the very edge of a tiger reserve.
- Barbecue by bonfire along the jungle trail.
- Lunch at a bamboo hut on the bank of a river.
All these make the dining experience even more exciting.
Storytelling – Stories behind the food
Every food serves up some story along with something to eat.
E.g. how local people collect edible bamboos from the forest, this being a practice that has carried on for generations.
These are the stories that resorts tell through the dining experience, so their guests enjoy not only the taste but the culture behind it.
Seasonal & Local Sourcing – Connected by seasons and land.
Local jungle resorts usually harvest their vegetables, fruits, and grains from the surrounding vicinity.
Forest herbs find their way into the menu during the monsoon, tubers during the winter, and local fruits in summer.
‘Farm to Table’ has now been created for guests.
Why is Jungle Dining Different?
- Taste of the Local Culture – Here, nothing is eaten but rather a historical, traditional landscape is injected upon one’s plate.
- Exciting Ambience – The jungle odors, sounds, and sights really convert an ordinary meal into something magically extraordinary.
- Health and Refreshment – Most of the delicacies are prepared with fresh, natural ingredients, generating an organic flavor and nutrition.
- Memorable Experience – You can possibly order the same dish in a city hotel’s restaurant but it will remain with you for life because of the ambience created by the jungle resort.
Conclusion
At jungle resorts, dining begins more than with food-it is an experience that encompasses taste, culture, nature and story.
- Tribal thali and local specialties should be your pick if you are looking for local authenticity.
- If you’re one for a bit of adventure in a rustic setting, go for wood-fired cuisines and jungle barbecues.
- If you like tastes from around the world, those multicultural menus would be just as much worth your enthusiasm.
So, the next time you are out at a jungle resort, eat for flavor and be part of a story and experience.
