Food & Travel Conversations On Mentza
Mentza enables you to vicariously experience the experiences of others. From trivia about ‘Biryanis’ to busting myths about alcohol. From exploring food cultures across the globe to talking about ‘poop coffee’ (yes, you read that right), let’s take a look at some of the great conversations we’ve had on our platform.
Authentic Food Cultures

Manasi is the founder of ‘Tasty Talks’ a platform that connects people over food. She is fascinated by the relationship between cultures and the food that people consume. When she moved to Amsterdam, she realized that Indian food was defined as ‘Chicken Tikka Masala’, ‘Palak Paneer’ and ‘Mango Lassi’ which is not even close to what it is in reality. Deepa speaks about how there is a cross-pollination of different cultures and the food they consume and Japvir spoke about how demographics play a huge role in how food progresses from different regions. For example, onions are part of a lot of dishes in different countries however they are of a different variety (red, white, purple) and that changes the taste drastically. Listen to this conversation here.
Trivial Pursuits | Biryani Stories | Food Trivia

Did you know ‘Tahdig’ which is an Iranian dish literally means the bottom of the pot? Did you know that ‘Tehri’ is a vegetable rice dish in Awadhi cuisine but ‘Tehri’ is also a Vada Pav in Kashmir? Did you know that ‘Peshawari Biryani’ does not have any meat in it and ‘Kathal Biryani’ is cooked with Jackfruit? More such fascinating trivia and conversations in this circle.
99% Wine | Alcohol Myths & Facts

Does drinking coffee sober you up? Is it ok to drink alcohol when you’re pregnant? Women can’t hold their drink as much as men? Does alcohol cause more damage to society than other illegal drugs like heroin? Myths or Facts? Find out here.
Compass Tales | Discovering Spain (Madrid) with Carmen Calderon

Experience does for the soul what education does for the mind. Spain is a country of diverse cultures. Knowing the history of a city is the best way to understand its culture and traditions. Carmen who is from Madrid speaks about her birth city and also suggests some of the must-see places. Shaveta talks about the similarities between Mumbai & Madrid and her experience travelling to the city. Plans to visit Madrid? Then we definitely recommend listening to this circle.
Coffee Saturdays | Let’s Talk Animal Processed Coffee

A blog about food and drinks is incomplete without mentioning coffee. We learnt about the origins of coffee (Ethiopia) in this conversation. Nancy asked Rajendra about animal poop coffee (yes, you read it right) and why is it called that. For the uninitiated, poop coffee like Kopi Luwak is made of coffee beans plucked from civets’ faeces. It is the world’s most expensive coffee and it’s made from beans that are partially digested and then pooped out by the civet (a cat-like creature). Listen to this fascinating conversation.
Blindate | Baking & Other Lockdown Discoveries

This has now become a cliché sentence but the pandemic has changed a lot of things. One of them is the way people cook and eat food. The delivery of food had stopped during the first lockdown in March 2020 and that forced a lot of people to improve their culinary skills. People realized the importance of taking care of their health and the fact that the best food you can eat is what you make yourself because you control the quality of the raw materials that are being used. The five speakers also shared stories of pandemic hobbies that have turned into successful businesses. Listen here.
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