B**F tongue roast isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's an acquired taste, even for many seasoned carnivores. It isn't juicy like a medium-rare steak is. Nor does it have the fall-off-the-bone feel of a well-made mutton curry. But the problem, essentially, lies in the mind. The idea of eating an animal's tongue or, for that matter, its heart or trotters just doesn't sit well with the general junta in this country.

That's a shame, because this mind block means they are missing out on the tongue roast ('300) from Zita's Kitchen. These are succulently dry pieces of meat that are flavoured with a subtle blend of East Indian masalas. In case you didn't know, the East Indian bottle masala is as integral to this community as rasam is to a true-blue Tamil who slurps it off his fingers after mixing it with rice. Anything between 20 and even 60 ingredients reportedly go into it depending on the family recipe, including unusual ones like a plant called mugwort and stone flower, a type of lichen. Chilli powder is a constant, whether of the Resham Patti or Kashmiri varieties.