Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna will experiment with his recipes in the metaverse. He collaborated with the NFT-metaverse marketplace Akshaya.io to release his limited-edition cookbook, ‘Sacred Foods of India’.
The Sacred Foods of India is the world’s first ‘phygital’ NFT (physical and digital), and it comes in two “flavors”.
The first version is made of sandalwood, while the second is made of Maplewood and walnut wood.
On June 23, the physical and NFT versions of the book were unveiled at an event in Dubai. The International Centre for Culinary Arts (ICCA) Dubai purchased the first sandalwood edition of the book at an auction.
Users can access the cookbook’s “digital twin”, an interactive 3-D replica of the book that they can flip through on their phones or laptops by scanning NFT codes on and within the book.
In the future, the celebrity chef plans to create additional augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) assets for his works and creations.
“Most of the content is consumed online. Books have become very difficult to sell as the market is shrinking and evolving in a digital way. In a similar way, blockchains and NFTs are going to revolutionize the food world. In Metaverse, it’s almost as if you are cooking along with someone in your kitchen. This experience is truly amazing,” Khanna says.
The unique traditions of India inspired Chef Vikas Khanna’s Sacred Foods of India—from temples, gurudwaras, mosques, synagogues, and dargahs to monasteries and Mother Teresa’s kitchens.
NFT platform Akshaya.io intends to create a metaverse that celebrates India’s history and tradition.
“We are happy to be associated with Chef Vikas Khanna, to create NFTs of his magnum opus work, Sacred Foods of India. Considering Chef Vikas Khanna’s popularity and the uniqueness of this book, we expect the NFTs of this work will acquire great eminence as time passes,” said Ganesh Raju, CEO, Akshaya.io.
