Mexican and Italian preparations on display at Yashwee International on Thursday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Can pizza become pals with tortilla? Well, the answer is a tasty yes, as the Italian and Mexican food fest that started in the city on Friday proved.

Sakchi’s Hotel Yashwee International is hosting a seven-day food festival christened Cinco de Mayo.

The Italian platter will include traditional pastas, sphagetti and risotto — fusilli in verde sauce, fusilli pasta and green vegetables cooked in sauce — along with chicken and mushroom risotto, chicken and mushroom cooked with Arborio rice and herbs.

Spicy tortillas, sizzling nachos, meat-loaded fajitas, quesadillas and a variety of sizzlers are Mexican treats.

The hospitality hub wanted to target summer vacation with a food festival that offered “something different”.

The idea of an Italy-meets-Mexico food fest came up, with a selection of 30 vegetarian and non-vegetarian spreads.

“All of us need a change of taste. With the schools closed for summer, youngsters and their parents have time to spare. We thought this would be the best time to offer something new,” said Soumen Bakshi, the hotel’s general manager.

The pocket pinch is nominal with a bowl of soup starting at Rs 80 and sizzlers for Rs 275.

Bakshi added that Jamshedpur, with its high Internet access, was fast becoming a global city. “Biryani festivals are commonplace,” he smiled.

Though the fest will try to be as authentic as possible where taste is concerned, they will make a few concessions.

“We will tone down the spices if required. Mexican cuisine is very hot,” said Bakshi.

And, if you can’t pronounce the names of fancy dishes, just enjoy the food. “We have kept names simple,” Bakshi said. “We want our guests to focus on taste and not on pronunciation of foreign names.”