The lip-smacking diplomacy of murukku and Maine lobster

INDIA’S “murukku” diplomacy was in play two years ago in the 193-member United Nations General Assembly for its resolution to designate 2023 as the International Year of Millets to promote healthy foodgrains. The Indian mission to the UN distributed the savoury snack murukku, made of millets, to UN diplomats ahead of voting on the resolution in March 2021, along with information on the nutritional benefits of the grains.

The gastro-diplomatic action then moved to India, where the US embassy announced in April 2022 that it would spend up to US$75,000 to produce cooking videos and organise “foodie walks” in major Indian cities. The programme aims to use social media to demonstrate the US-India strategic partnership “through cultural and culinary diplomacy”, as well as “generate increased demand and interest in US foods”, and maintain a positive perception of US-India relations.

More recently, food diplomacy returned to the White House, after President Donald Trump’s tough-talking “hamburger and fries” statecraft and the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic. Fine dining resumed at the White House last December when President Joe Biden feted French President Emmanuel Macron with butter-poached Maine lobster, American Osetra caviar, calotte of beef with shallot marmalade, triple-cooked butter potatoes, and artisanal cheeses.