As we are all aware of Pizza Hut, the best Pizza Joint in Town, has many outlets in Kolkata. The Taste buds are changing with globalisation but evolving into new avatars. While American pizza chains have become a hit in India by introducing local flavours, Americans are picking up Indian masala foods…………

As with most new ideas, people scoffed at first. "Everyone said, 'We can't put chickpeas on it.' I said, if you look at an Indian consumer, he eats bhatura, which is a bread, and he eats it with chana. My crust is also a bread. So I just need to put some chana and onion on top of it," says Mediratta. He chucked the basil topping of the original "Margherita" pizza in favour of onions, paneer, soft chickpeas, fresh coriander and a sprinkling of masala. The result: Peshawari Chana Paneer Pizza, now a best selling item in Pizza Hut's vegetarian range. "It's the consumer who decides what he wants, not us," says Mediratta. That has been one of the greatest lessons for U.S.-based restaurant chains as they entered the Indian market: Indian consumers crave Indian flavours. Give them a chicken burger, but make it with mint sauce. Or a submarine sandwich with spicy potato patties. Keep the international standard of service, cleanliness and food quality. Keep the food's form and function the same. But a little masala never hurt anyone.

From unsure and sometimes rough beginnings, American food chains here are growing fast. Pizza Hut had 126 restaurants in July and is expanding fast into small towns, Indian menu options have become standard for American chains here. Some bright ideas from India have even gone international. In Pizza Hut's case, the U.S.-based parent introduced a stuffed crust pizza with strips of mozzarella cheese baked into the edges. After playing around with crust stuffing technology, Mediratta and his team found a way to stuff sausages into the crust instead of cheese. It was a hit. After that, it was just a matter of time before other countries picked up the same feature, and sausage crust pizza went worldwide.

And what of customers from America or Europe who are searching for a familiar taste from home? Vijay Kadian, manager of a Pizza Hut says that Western customers in the business hub regularly order the local pizzas. "They are visiting a brand like Pizza Hut but they are in India, and want a taste of Indian food as well. They order the Indian pizzas." But, he admits, "without the green chilies."