Ahead of Modi's visit, Indian food popular in Poland

Indian cuisine is remarkably popular in Poland with various Indian restaurants catering to the growing demand for the rich flavours and Polish diners visiting them say the dishes like dosa and butter chicken remind them of their travels to India.

More than 45 Indian restaurants are offering a variety of traditional Indian food across Poland, with the capital Warsaw City having at least a dozen of them, as per the listing of the Embassy of India in Poland.

India and Indian food are the talk of the town yet again as Warsaw is excited to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will arrive in Warsaw for his two-day visit on Wednesday.

This will be the first official visit of an Indian prime minister to this country in 45 years.

According to Indian restaurant owners, Polish people have developed a liking not just for Indian cuisine but also for its rich culture.

"I really like Dosa. The best Dosa in Warsaw is in India Gate (restaurant), and it really feels like (those) in South India. I have travelled many times to Chennai and Kerala and actually, the food here definitely tastes like that," said Anna Maria Rozek, a Polish national, told PTI Videos in Warsaw.

Chandu, the owner of India Gate food chain, said, "The food is really tasty here ... Indian food with a lot of spices. Every item has a different taste. They (the Polish people) love butter chicken, mango lassi. They love Indian food and Indian people also."

The Polish people also love Indian culture and Indian movies are also doing well in Poland nowadays, he said.

Not just in the capital Warsaw, but Indian restaurants are popular in cities such as Krakow and Wroclaw, offering a variety of options to satisfy the curiosity and cravings of foodies in this eastern European country.

Meanwhile, the Indian diaspora in Poland's capital is excited about Modi's visit. Indians, especially students, expressed their delight as they got set to welcome the prime minister.

Gaurav Singh, President of the Indian Students Union, Poland, said: "There is a sense of excitement among the people here, especially the young people, the students. The number of Indians is slowly increasing here and a major chunk is that of the students."

Surender Kumar, an Indian living in Poland for a few years now, said every Indian is 'extremely happy' as a national leader (is visiting). Amongst the Indians, the Gujarati community said they feel proud about having a Gujarati as the Prime Minister as they eagerly await his arrival.

"I belong to Gujarat and Prime Minister Modi is also from Gujarat. So, we are even more excited to meet him. In 40 years, this is the second time a Prime Minister is coming from Gujarat. The first time an Indian Prime Minister from Gujarat visited Poland was Morarji Desai and Narendra Modi is also from Gujarat. I am also from Gujarat. So, I am also proud," said Srikant, another Indian living in Poland.

"PM Modi is visiting here, so we are really happy and excited that we will be meeting him. As he is coming here, we expect that our visa problems will get solved," Trusha Bhatt, an Indian in Poland said in Gujarati.

India's Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mohamed Mallick said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Poland will give 'a greater knowledge and understanding' of the economic and other possibilities between the two countries.