Fresh & Naturelle’s elaichi infused Shahi Kesar Pista is a hotseller according to Kunal Pabrai (above). Pix by Bishwarup Dutta

Are you an ice cream lover who’s in search of a new culinary experience? And would you like to give the traditional flavours like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry a miss and dig into spoonfuls of paan-flavoured, sitaphal or even saunf ice cream?

Ice cream manufacturers, in their quest for winning flavours, are going Indian with a vengeance. They are reaching into the fruit bowl and the spice tray and serving up scoops of the most unexpected flavours from rabdi to anjeer, Gondhoraj lemon, chandan and the slightly less exotic tender coconut.

Take a look at Mumbai-based Natural Ice Cream, which has flavours like kala jamun, chikoo and papaya-pineapple on offer. Also, Calcutta-based Fruity Freeze has an assortment of ice creams in flavours such as aam panna, rabdi malai and nimbu paani.

Top chefs too are experimenting furiously and serving up ice creams in exotic Indian flavours — with some extra touches. So Deepak Mishra, executive chef, Swissotel, Calcutta, has two unique offerings — thandai ice cream and gulkand ice cream. “The thandai ice cream is very Indian and a big hit in our hotel,” says Mishra.

At The Park, Calcutta, executive sous chef Kaushik Saha is equally adventurous and uses ingredients from across the flavour spectrum like black pepper, notun gur, rasmalai, red chilli and even vegetable pickle to whip up ice creams. These are served up in style with a garnishing of the ingredient that has gone into the ice cream.

Prepare for a yummy surprise with Fruity Freeze’s daab malai ice cream filled with bits of mouth-watering malai

The manufacturers are also offering a wider spread and even dishing up gelato in different flavours (gelato has a lower butterfat content than ice cream). Delhi-based Gelato Vinto, for instance, has brought out a range of local flavours that include chikoo, coconut and cardamom. “Flavours like jamun and kulfi are picking up fast,” says Akshay Batra, COO, Gelato Vinto.

Not surprisingly, the biggest buzzwords for most manufacturers are ‘going natural’. They boast that nothing artificial goes into their products. “All our fruit ice creams are only made from seasonally available fresh fruits. So once a fruit is out of the market, we don’t use it,” says Kunal Pabrai, partner, Fresh & Naturelle.

The Park, Calcutta, offers innovative flavours like black pepper, notun gur, gulkand and achaar (in picture); Pic by Bishwarup Dutta

“Kaju-kismis and anjeer are hotsellers and are made of real fruits and nuts,” says R.S. Kamath, founder, Mumbai-based Natural Ice Cream.

In other ways too, the manufacturers are striving to serve up an ‘authentic’ experience. Says Anisha Aggarwal, owner, Fruity Freeze: “The texture of our ice creams matches the texture of the fruits they’re made from. So, a watermelon ice cream would be more like a sorbet while a chikoo ice cream would have the grainy texture of the fruit.”

Also expect to find bits of malai in Fruity Freeze’s daab malai ice cream. Fresh & Naturelle’s Pabrai’s Nolen Gur ice cream is served with real nolen gur (a variety of molasses) and has chunks of jaggery in it. They have also ventured into sugar-free ice creams with flavours like chandan and rose.

Guests at Swissotel can take their pick from Deepak Mishra’s unique creations like (from top left) thandai, jamun, gulkand and paan; Pic by Bishwarup Dutta

So why is there a sudden spurt of ice creams in local flavours? “It’s cooler,” says Aggarwal. “Instead of having a paan why not try a paan ice cream?” Pabrai insists that Indian flavours are coming out as winners in different types of foodstuffs. “Potato chips have come out with local flavours like masala and chutney and pizzas, with Indian toppings like chicken tikka. It’s only natural that ice creams followed suit,” says Pabrai.

Kamath adds a rider: “While the flavour seems familiar, its combination with ice cream offers you a twist.”

The manufacturers say that children prefer fruit-based ice creams like sitaphal, kala jamun and himsagar mango. It’s the older consumers who go for unusual flavours like paan and nolen gur. Flavours like mishti doi, rose petal and chandan are hot favourites too.

As the popularity of these Indian flavours spreads, it’s likely that you’ll be served one of these at five-star hotels, weddings and even conferences. Fresh & Naturelle supplies to the Taj Group and ITC Hotels across India. Aggarwal says they pack ice creams (placed in insulated packages) in flavours like anjeer, roasted almond and paan, instead of the regular dry fruits, as Diwali and corporate gifts.

Natural Ice Cream’s anjeer (fig) flavour is a huge hit along with their kaju-kismis and sitaphal offerings;

What’s more? For large orders, the ice cream makers will offer ‘customised’ flavours like a roasted tender coconut instead of the usual tender coconut one. You could also order your favourite Indian flavour in earthen cups to add an ethnic look.

Certainly, there’s an extraordinary range of new flavours out there. Fresh & Naturelle says that popular new flavours include South Indian Coffee and gulab jamun. Fruity Freeze brings out a range of flavours like jalebi, mihidana and rajbhog, during Bengal’s Puja season. Natural Ice Cream on the other hand is experimenting with rasbharra (cape gooseberry) and mamra badaam (almond kernels) to add in ice creams.

But will the popularity of these Indian flavours grow? “The variety of Indian flavours is wider than their international counterparts,” says Saha. Pabrai also sounds optimistic: “While KFC, Pizza Hut and Mc Donald’s will co-exist with dosa, vada pav and pav bhaji in India — so will Indian ice cream flavours with international favourites.” Mishra believes that Indians have become more experimental with food and are always on the lookout for something new.

So steer clear of predictable flavours this season and give your sweet tooth a taste of tradition, each time you dig into a scoop of ice cream.