While 2020 has been a year like no other in modern human history, it is nice to know that some things continue to remain the same. In its bi-annual report on what Indians have eaten during the present year, the ‘StatEATistics report: The Quarantine Edition’ by Swiggy found that Biryani (specifically Chicken Biryani) continues to rule the country’s hearts and stomachs, with the fragrant non-vegetarian rice dish coming first in the most-ordered category for the third year running.
Indians ordered chicken biryani over “5.5 lakh times” during the lockdown period from March to May from their restaurants of choice, with butter naan and masala dosa coming in second and third place respectively. While biryani continues to be the most favourite dish, when it comes to dessert, the Choco Lava Cake holds the No.1 position. About 129,000 orders for this dessert were placed during the lockdown period. Gulab Jamun and Butterscotch Mousse Cake came in at position two and three respectively.
Another interesting pointer was at what time people order. With most working from home during the pandemic – lunchtime – previously a huge segment in corporate India, may not have been as busy as it once was. As per the StatEATistics, an average of 65,000 meal orders was placed by around 8:00pm daily, and this was the busiest hour for delivery partners across cities where Swiggy is present. Incidentally, for those still trying their culinary skills at home and not succeeding, more than 3.5 lakh packets of instant noodle packets were delivered, along with more than 21,000 ready-to-cook meals.
Given that Swiggy also partnered with a host of grocery chains, kirana stores and all other providers of daily household goods, the other points are just as interesting. The brand’s newly launched Swiggy Genie service, which acts as a conduit between people and their chores also saw a huge demand, with people getting everything from pet shampoos to school books for their children delivered. All in all, Swiggy delivered 40 million orders across food, groceries, medicines and other household item segments during India’s several lockdowns.
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