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Introduction and Food Fusion leading to evolution ladder

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Food Fusion leading to evolution ladder:

Introduction and Food Fusion leading to evolution ladder

F

ood as a concept has been evolving from time immemorial, and so is our food habit. Food is

fundamental to life. Yet, our eating habits have become incredibly complex, involving many aspects of daily life far beyond addressing simple nutritional needs.

The increased consumption of unhealthy food and sedentary lifestyles means excess weight and obesity issues now surpass undernourishment as the world's leading food and nutrition problem.

Today, we have so many options in the ready-to-eat food and instant

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cooking varieties that we are no more connected to the traditional food habits that were practiced by our ancestors. Food has been made easy to prepare, access and consume, but have they been rendered unhealthy and difficult to digest in the process?

Although the several packaged food and online retail ensures that we get the food on a single click, but has this somewhere affected flavoring. With everything from Ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree to payasam, dahi vada and biriyani being manufactured in ready to eat form, are we losing the originality to food?

The three Ps of food industry, Processing-Preservatives-

Packaging, have they degraded the value of food and devoid of the essential P- Protein? Well, although in the processing and packaging methods several nutritional inputs have been lost but preservatives have been existing from ages including the natural food preservatives, salt, sugar, alcohol, vinegar. Sugar and salt are the earliest natural food preservatives that very efficiently drop the growth of bacteria in food. To preserve meat and fish, salt is still used as a natural food preservative. This article will deal with the evolving food concepts and latest addition to the food market.

Go ahead and make your pick to appease your reading appetite.

The food that we Indians have been eating has been, over the millennia, steadily evolving both in variety and taste. Fortunately for us, these have been identified from relics and fossils, and also described in the written lore over the years.

The early spice trade was staggeringly profitable, but it was also very dangerous, even for legendary explorers. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines during an ill-fated quest for spices. Of the five ships that were part of his adventure, only one made it back safely, although it was laden with a veritable treasure trove of spices.

Very little is known about the food of Indus Valley Civilization, the earliest civilization in Indian subcontinent. As the language of this ancient civilization has not been deciphered as yet, all evidence of food and eating habits comes from archaeological sources.

With the coming of the Aryans around 1500 B.C, we get very clear picture of the food they ate from the literary sources of the period – the

Vedic literature. There is abundant information on the food of the early Aryans and how it was prepared.

Indeed, the food was simple as the early Aryans were semi-agriculturist semi-nomadic people. Towards 1000 B.C. as they began to settle down in the fertile Gangetic plains their food became more complex and elaborate.

Barley and wheat seem to have been the chief produce of the field, and consequently the principal articles of food. Various kinds of cakes were prepared from these grains and used as food and offered to the gods. We can safely conclude that animal flesh was ritually consumed by early Aryans as there are frequent allusions to animal sacrifices and to the cooking of flesh - meat was roasted and boiled. The fermented juice of the plant called Soma appears to have been the only intoxicating drink used in Vedic times. So much were the ancient Aryans addicted to this drink, that Soma was also worshipped as a deity.

As agrarian economy grew, cattle and other domesticated animals became more useful in agrarian and related

food production activities; and, it became increasingly expensive to slaughter animals for meat. This was the beginning of vegetarianism in India‌. With the rise of Buddhism and Jainism in 6th century B.C. and their huge popularity with the masses and the royals alike, the doctrines of non-violence quickly took religious connotation and meat eating increasingly became taboo with the mainstream Aryan

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of the pack - saffron. By the time Alexander came to India, saffron was already cultivated in large parts of Northern India. These are madhura (sweet), amla (sour), lavana (salty), kata (pungent), tikta (bitter) and kasaya (astringent), as prescribed earlier on by Sushruta (around 600 AD). The Bhavissayattakaha (of AD 1000) describes the royal meal of King Shrenika thus. First were served fruits that could be chewed (grape, pomegranate, ber), then fruits to be sucked (sugarcane, oranges, mangoes).

culture. However, the so called fringe communities of non-Aryans continued to consume meats.

Food that could be licked came next and in the fourth course came solid sweet items such as sevaka, modaka and phenaka. Rice followed next and the sixth was of broths. Curd preparation made the seventh course and the eighth ended with thickened milk flavoured with saffron. Items such as parpata (papad) and vataka (vadam) were common.

From early Christian Eras to early medieval times, the vegetarianism was the mainstream food habit of the Aryan people – marked by preparation and consumption of various grains, fruits and vegetable and milk products. Due to warm climate and cultivation of large number of herbs and spices, the preparation became more and elaborate. Indeed, this is the food habit which has largely continued for over two thousand years as the main food habit with large sections of traditionally vegetarian Indian families – particularly in North India.

During this long period, Indian cuisine gained immensely from interaction with the foreigners who came into the subcontinent as migrants, traders and invaders making it a unique blend of various cuisines. The consequent fusion in cuisines has resulted in what is today known as ‘Indian Cuisine’.

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The extant vegetables ranged pretty much as before — cucumber, brinjal, snake gourd and other gourds, yams, French beans and cluster beans, leafy greens, onions and garlic, coconut, cowpea, sweet potato (?) and such. It was with the entry of the Portuguese that a floodgate of new vegetables entered the Indian land and kitchens.

In other words, today’s ‘Indian cuisine’ is a great mix of traditional Indian food and influences on it of the cultural interaction with the incoming foreigners.

The story of foreign influences on

Indian food is as interesting and intriguing as the India food itself.

India’s first taste of foreign flavor came with Greek, Romans and Arab traders who gave it many of the important herbs and spices, the head

They brought potato, tomato, tapioca, groundnuts, corn, papaya, pineapple, guava, avocado, rajma (kidney bean), cashew, sapota (chiku), and of course capsicum and chilli in all its forms (and I felt bad hearing about idli importation!).

Perhaps the cauliflower and cabbage

came f r o m Europe or Latin America too, but certainly a particular form of cottage cheese did come from the Portuguese. It was this that became the chhana of Bengal and Orissa — the base for many Bengali sweets (Sandesh in its modern form, and of course inventions called Rasogolla, Khirmohan, Mouchak, Pantua, Sitabhog, Chhena Puda, and so forth).

The Portuguese word for grain, grao, was taken up to describe Indian pulses as Bengal gram, horse gram and other grams. While the Arabs and Central Asians brought bajra, jowar, lobia and forms of bread (roti) into India, the Portuguese enriched Indian food through their diverse introductions. When we eat Aloopoori, we partake of the richness of the produce of people from West Asia and Latin America!

Another important influence of a different culinary world was from the Arabs traders who introduced coffee. The Arab also left an indelible mark on Kerala’s cuisine

now known as Kerala Muslim (or Moppilah) cuisine. Syrian Arab Christians fleeing persecution at the hand of the Muslims took refuge under the king of Kerala and also left a heavy influence in the cuisine of Kerala.

Persian Zoroastrians arrived next and gave to India what is known as Parsi cuisine. Some believe that it was the Zoroastrians who first brought biryani to India, before the Mughals made it popular.

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Mughal influence

T

he next major influence on Indian cuisine came with the Mughals, starting with Babar who came in 1526 to stay but four years here. While he remained aloof to the Indian supper-tables, his son Humayun took to them easier and also introduced a few new items to it. It is with Akbar, and through the book Ain-i-Akbari, that we know of many new dishes, ovens and recipes that came into India through the Mughal court. Dishes like khichri, palak-sag, biryani, pilaf, haleem, harisa, qutab (samosa), yakhni, kabab, do-pyaza, dumpukht, naan, tandoori, chapati (phulka) and khushka. The Mughals revolutionized Indian food with their penchant for elegant dining and rich food with dry fruit and nuts, a style

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which eventually came to be known as Mughlai cuisine.

The delicious cold kulfi was made at court by freezing a mixture of khoa, pista nuts and zafran essence in a metal cone after sealing the open top with dough. (The only modification today is to use aluminium or plastic cones with their own caps).

Jahangir, unlike his father, enjoyed meat, but will be remembered for popularizing falooda (a jelly made from boiled wheat strainings mixed with fruit juices and cream).

With the Mughal introduction of the varieties of bread, meat dishes (particularly of fowl) and the ovens to make them, and their methods to make ice locally, the cuisine of much of North India transformed forever.

The next major influence on Indian cuisine came with the Mughals, starting with Babar who came in 1526 to stay but four years here.

While he remained aloof to the Indian supper-tables, his son Humayun took to them easier and also introduced a few new items to it. It is with Akbar, and through the book Ain-i-Akbari, that we know of many new dishes, ovens and recipes that came into India through the Mughal court. Dishes like khichri, palak-sag, biryani, pilaf, haleem, harisa, qutab (samosa), yakhni, kabab, do-pyaza, dumpukht, naan, tandoori, chapati (phulka) and khushka.

The delicious cold kulfi was made at court by freezing a mixture of khoa,

pista nuts and zafran essence in a metal cone after sealing the open top with dough. (The only modification today is to use aluminium or plastic cones with their own caps).

Jahangir, unlike his father, enjoyed meat, but will be remembered for popularizing falooda (a jelly made from boiled wheat strainings mixed with fruit juices and cream).

With the Mughal introduction of the varieties of bread, meat dishes (particularly of fowl) and the ovens to make them, and their methods to make ice locally, the cuisine of much of North India transformed forever.

Tomato, chilli, and potato, which are staple components of today's Indian cuisine, were brought to India by the Portuguese. Portuguese also introduced refined sugar, before which only fruits and honey were used as sweetener.

The Hindu refugees from Afghanistan brought with them a style of oven, which led to an entirely

new stream of dishes – tandoori.

The British infected India with their taste for tea. With the perfect tea growing climate, India rapidly joined the ranks of tea lovers of the world. The British not only influenced what Indians ate, they also changed "how" Indians ate. For the first time Indians used knives and forks. The dining table replaced the kitchen floor.

Indians have absorbed the foods from all over the world throughout the history which gave rise to one of the most rich and sophisticated culinary traditions in the world. As a food historian has said, “No foreign food was rejected, it was just made Indian”.

China Connect The Chinese had their influence too, though not to the extent of the Portuguese and the Moghuls.

Mulberry, blackberry and the litchi fruit came to us through them. Of

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India-America amity The two varieties he introduced by Satyanand Stoke, called `Delicious', have now become the major Indian apple varieties, making the Himachal apple growers happy and more prosperous than before.

He married a local girl and settled down.

Introduction of apple

Chinese origin are also the sweet cherry and the peach. China also developed the leafy variety of Brassica juncea (rai), which we in India use as a vegetable. Camphor is a Chinese import and introduction (it is even today called chinakarpura).

The soybean was imported from China into India in 1908 for cultivation, though it caught on widely only after the U.S. variety was introduced in 1970s. And the most precious introduction of China to India (and to the world at large) is of course their cha or teh, namely tea.

Just imagine what we do first thing in the morning — we pay obeisance to the Arabs with a cup of coffee (they brought it to us in the 1600s) or to the Chinese with our steaming cuppa.

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Compared to this cornucopia, the British brought us little in terms of food. Fish and chips or Yorkshire pudding pale in comparison to what we got from the Arabs, Portuguese and Moghuls, but the British did sensitise us to at least one fruit, namely the apple. Local varieties of apple are recorded to have occured in Kashmir (called amri, tarehli and maharaji), and Dalhara in 1100 AD talked about a "ber as big as a fist and very sweet, grown in North Kashmir", which is likely an apple.

But it was the colourful Britisher Frederick "Pahari" Wilson who established a flourishing apple farm in Garhwal, where they grow red and juicy Wilson apples to this day.

In these days of American imports into India such as Pizza, Burgers, French fries and colas, it is well to remember the best import we have had from these, namely apples and express our gratitude to the American Mr. Stokes.

He settled in Kotgarh near Simla in the 1920s and started apple orchards there, and helped in the proper grading, packing and marketing of the fruit.

His descendants Smt. Vidya Stokes (politician) and Dr. Vijay Stokes (scientist) are well known. Though Australian apples are increasingly found in the Indian market, it is still the Delicious that rules the roost.

Next time you bite into an Indian apple, you are celebrating IndoAmerican amity! One wonders, going as far back as the scriptures, what Lord Rama ate. Perhaps it is easier to tell what Lord Rama did not eat. No potato, no tomato, no cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, corn, tapioca, rajma, nor of course chillies in any form!

Meat it Up...

Scientists have suggested that the human brain may have eventually doubled in size after our Homo erectus ancestors put flame to food, especially meat. Densely packed with nutrients, cooked meat was easy to digest, and it provided plenty of energy for resource-hungry brain development. Cooking makes food easier to chew and digest, and in the process, enables us to get more energy with less effort. Heat begins breaking food down, leaving less work for our digestive systems.

Plus, cooking can kill some harmful bacteria before it enters the body.

From the lavish mead-laden laden feasts of King Henry VIII to the steak lunches of Wall Street power brokers, being able to afford a prime cut of meat conveys a higher socioeconomic status. The “low and slow” cooking method that makes barbecue so tender and delicious was born of the desire to make the tougher, less desirable parts of animals more enjoyable.

Slaves in the pre-Civil War south perfected the art of barbecuing while plantation owners ate the choice cuts of meat. BBQ Brings Meat to the Masses: The “low and slow” cooking method that makes barbecue so tender and delicious was born of the desire to make the tougher, less desirable parts of animals more enjoyable. Slaves in the preCivil War south perfected the art of barbecuing while plantation owners ate the choice cuts of meat.

Different cuts of meat from the same animal can have very different flavors, textures, and prices.

Choosing one of these cuts might fill you up, but it could also empty your wallet!

Processing Meat Industry: The meat-fueled minds devised fences and improved meat processing.

The art of raising animals and keep them close through the magic of fences evolved resulting in more livestock available, and eventually refined techniques for processing

animals into the multi-billion-dollar meat industry.

Spice Route: Herbs and spices play a vital role in Indian food. Masala is a word that is often used in Indian context. Masala means a 'blend of several spices’ which varies from dish to dish.

Garam (hot) masala is the most important blend and an absolute essential to an Indian preparation, added just before serving the dish to enhance its flavor. Each state in India has its own particular blend of garam masala, and furthermore, each family is partial to their own blend.

Fresh ground spices are the order of the day in an Indian home and are chosen not only according to the nature of the dish but also the season.

Spices which generate internal body heat are called ‘warm’ spices and those which take heat away from one’s system are called ‘cool’ spices.

For example spices such as bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, mace, nutmeg and cayenne pepper are considered warm spices and hence used liberally in cold weather.

This is the reason one finds these warm spices traditionally used in

numerous local specialties of cold Kashmir.

The role of spices and herbs, in fact, goes beyond just cooking. Ancient Ayurvedic texts prescribe them for curative and therapeutic functions.

Though the knowledge of the medicinal properties of the herbs and spices have been lost to most of today’s generation, with flavor and palette taking the forefront, the fact remains that locked in traditional wisdom are age-old secrets of the benefits of herbs and spices. For example, cumin seeds are believed to promote digestion, cardamom is good for the heart and is a natural breath freshener, cinnamon is helpful in controlling cholesterol, turmeric is a natural antiseptic, ginger is effective against colds and flu symptoms, and the list goes on.

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characterised by the use of yogurt, fried onion, nuts and saffron. There are tender kebabs, creamy kormas, rich pasandas and many other dishes.

Traditional Kashmiri cooking is called Wazawan which reflects strong Central Asian influences.

Regional Classification of Food

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he many culinary styles in India can be generally divided into four regional categories, the North, the South, the East and the West. As you move from one region to another, not only dishes, but flavors, colours, methods of cooking, down to even the style of cutting the vegetables prior to cooking changes as often as the landscape does.

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North India: This cuisine is perhaps the most popular and widely served in restaurants around the world.

It is broadly characterized by meats and vegetables cooked in the tandoor (coal fired barbecue), use of cream in dals and yogurt in marinades.

Wheat is produced in the north and

therefore the grain plays a stronger role in its cuisine than in other areas of the country. Unleavened breads - naan, tandoori roti, chapaatis or paranthas are traditionally eaten with foods of this region.

The best known North Indian food is the Mughlai cuisine. Introduced by the Mughals and broadly nonvegetarian in content, this cuisine is

The Wazawan experience includes table settings for groups of four or more on the floor where dishes (mostly non-vegetarian) are served, each aromatic with herbs and the fresh produce of the region.

The unique feature of Kashmiri cuisine is that the spices used are boiled rather than fried which gives them a unique and distinctive flavour and aroma.

Punjabis have the reputation of being great producers of food and still greater consumers of it. Punjab has bequeathed the institution of dhaba, a wayside eating joint, especially on the highways.

Punjabi cuisine is not subtle in its flavour and there are no intricate marinades or exotic sauces. Mah ki Dal, Sarson Da Saag and Makki Di

Roti, meat curry like Roghan Josh and stuffed paranthas are some of the popular dishes in this cuisine.

The rich Awadhi cuisine of Lucknow region was made popular by the Nawab of Awadh who, to deal with food shortage, ordered his men to cook food in huge handis (vessel) to feed the hungry people.

This eventually led to a style of cooking called dum, i.e., the art of sealing ingredients in large handi and cooking over a slow fire, which you can so well relate to the relaxed outlook and attitude of the people of the region.

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South India

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n South India, rice and dal is usually the staple diet. The food is characterized by dishes cooked on the griddle such as dosas, thin broth like dals called sambar and an array of seafood. The region is also known for its heavy use of 'kari' leaves, tamarind and coconut.

Andhra Pradesh is known for its

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Hyderabadi cuisine which is greatly inspired by the Mughlai cuisine. The wealthy and leisured aristocracy of the erstwhile Nizam State as well as the long peaceful years of their dominance contributed largely to the development of this cuisine. Some of the most traditional Hyderabadi dishes are Biryani, Chicken Korma and Sheer Khurma. Karnataka has

two main styles of cooking, the Brahmin cuisine that is strictly vegetarian and the cuisine of Coorg which is noted for its pork dishes.

The Chettinad cuisine of Tamil Nadu has transcended the boundaries of the state to carve a worldwide following. Generally the dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground

masalas and the typical menu resembles the aristocratic way of the Chettinad people.

Tamil Nadu is also known for its vegetarian Brahmin cuisine which is very popular in entire India and overseas. The rich intermingling of cultures in Kerala has contributed to the vast melting pot of mouthwatering delicacies that are churned

out here. Appam and stew, ulli theeyal and of course the ubiquitous banana chips is something most are familiar with, however, in the northern region of Kerala or the Malabar coast Muslim Moppilah Cuisine rules the roost. The Arab influence is predominant in many of its dishes like the Alisa, which is a hearty wheat and meat porridge.

South to Central Kerala is where

the art of Syrian Christian cooking remains the pride of many a homemaker. Their contribution to the Kerala cuisine has been manifold and the most noted are the hoppers, duck roast, meen vevichathu (red fish curry) and the isthew (stew).

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East India

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astern India grows a lot of rice. Green vegetables and fruit are also abundant and so are the foods cooked using them. People though, are a balanced mix of vegetarian and nonvegetarian.

Fish and rice are at the heart of Bengali cuisine. Mustard oil is used extensively and so is panch phhoron (a combination of 5 whole spices) which sets this cuisine apart from all

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others. The flavours of Oriya cuisine are usually subtle and delicately spiced and fish and other seafood such as crab and shrimp are very popular.

Only a very small percentage of Orissa state is vegetarian. Panchaphutana, a mix of cumin, mustard, fennel, fenugreek and kalonji (nigella) is widely used for tempering the dishes.

The food of India's smaller eastern states such as Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, etc. varies quite dramatically due to their geographical location. These areas have been heavily influenced by Tibetan, Chinese, and even Western Cuisine in recent times and you will find steaks, pork or chicken dumplings — moo-moos — and filling noodle soups featuring strongly on your menu.

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n western India, Rajasthani and Gujarati cuisines offer a delectable variety of dals and achars (pickles/preserves) which substitutes the relative lack of fresh vegetables in these areas.

Rajasthani cuisine is quite diverse.

On one side of the spectrum, the love for shikaar (a good hunt) among the erstwhile royalty creates a culinary art form that is unimaginable. And on the other side of the spectrum is the equally grand all vegetarian

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West India food of Marwar or Jodhpur with popular dishes such as choorma laddoo and daal baati. Gujarat has a large populace that has been mainly vegetarian for religious reasons and therefore Gujarati cuisine is strictly vegetarian. The popular dishes in this cuisine are oondhia, patra, khaandavi and thhepla. The typical Gujarati thali is a carnival of savoury vegetables prepared with aromatic spices, accompanied by fried snacks.

Parsi food is the hallmark of India's

Zoroastrian community - ancient Persians. The Parsis’ main dish is Dhansakh (caramelized onions and brown rice served with a mix of dals, vegetables and meat) which is eaten on Sundays and at all weddings and functions. Goan cuisine has strong Portuguese influence since it was previously a Portuguese colony. The gravies are chilly-hot, spices are ground with vinegar and coconut.

Some examples of this cuisine are Balcao, Xacuti, Vindaloos, Sorpotel and Moehlos.

Malvani/Konkani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the Hindus in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, Goa and northern parts of West Karnataka.

Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly nonvegetarian, there are many vegetarian delicacies.

Malvani cuisine uses coconut liberally and is usually very spicy; however, the ‘Konkanastha Brahmin’ style of food of the region is quite bland and vegetarian too.

Celebrating with Food: Due to diversity of geographical features and religions, festivals, small or big, are celebrated all year long in India. These festivals offer a great opportunity for people to enjoy the traditional delicacies that are associated with each festival. Special

dishes are prepared and offered to respective deities, and the seasonal background plays an important role in the celebration. For example, milk pudding, butter, and curd preparations signify cowherd Krishna's birthday, Janmashtami, while Modakas of fresh coconut, regional varieties of murukku, laddu and kajjaya are thought to be favourites of Ganesh and are offered on Ganesh Chaturthi. In olden days when the transportation of food stuffs and vegetables was difficult, only seasonal food, typical of the region was cooked and offered to the deities. These food items came to be identified with particular deities, and the practice has continued till today.

Indian sweets (mithai) are the biggest

attraction not just during festivals but also on special occasions in people’s lives. People buy or prepare sweets and distribute them among family and friends during festivals, marriages, birth of a baby, after buying a new house or a car, career related achievements, etc. Mithai are a type of confectionery usually made using ghee, sugar, milk, flour and a variety of nuts. There are so many varieties of mithais as one moves from North to South or East to West and within different ethnic groups that one gets overwhelmed. While rasgulla, cham cham, sandesh and laddoo, gulab jamun, kaju katli are popular in West Bengal and North India respectively, messu, monthar and ghevar are the order of the day in Gujarat and Rajasthan. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

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