NEW DELHI: Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna has joined hands with NFT-metaverse marketplace Akshaya.io to create a non-fungible token of his latest release, "Sacred Foods of India" -- a limited-edition book that brings recipes of 'prasad' and foods served at various holy places across the country.
The physical and NFT versions of the book will be unveiled at an event in Dubai on June 23.
"In these fast-changing times when the world of the internet is metamorphosing into the future rapidly, it is important we take the big leap forward. 'Sacred Foods of India' is very dear to my heart, and I wish this will be a prized possession for those who are interested in buying or investing into works of passion," said New York-based Khanna in a statement.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital assets using which one can trade across products, including online-only assets. A NFT is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain that can be sold or traded.
Though a first such collaboration for Khanna, the celebrity chef and author said he intends to create more augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) assets of his works and creations in the future.
"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. We are expecting a blockbuster launch of the NFTs on June 23rd in Dubai, and on behalf of Akshaya welcome everyone to experience the future of internet with this launch," said Ganesh Raju, CEO, Akshaya.io.
Amritsar-born Khanna has previously authored books such as "Barkat: The Inspiration and the Story Behind One of World's Largest Food Drives FEED INDIA" (2021), "My First Kitchen" (2017), "UTSAV: A Culinary Epic of Indian Festivals" (2017) and "Indian Harvest: Classic and Contemporary Vegetarian Dishes" (2015).