The founders of Yaksha
Following our first trip to India in 2018, we're discovering new tastes in curries that we couldn't have imagined. It's not for lack of familiarity with Asia, since we'd already spent 6 months there in 2016. But in India, spices are king and on our return, the desire to rediscover these distant flavours was there. However, it wasn't the long-standing spices in our cupboards that fascinated us, but the ones we'd brought with us. Much fresher, often from recent harvests, they enhanced our dishes from then on. At that point, we were convinced that we absolutely had to change the way we sourced our spices.
Our passion for cooking
We've always spent a lot of time in the kitchen concocting delicious dishes. We give ourselves challenges, we try, we fail, we innovate, we surprise ourselves, we have fun, just like when we travelled to Asia. That's when we really became aware of our enthusiasm for Asian cuisine. That's how we came to create a list of the top cuisines of the countries we visited, and our motto was to try every speciality. Sometimes we had to do a lot of research to find the best place to eat a particular dish, but this experience encouraged us to discover so many different dishes. In fact, every time we went abroad, even to Switzerland or Europe,
we're looking for THE best restaurant in the area to try THE speciality we can't afford to miss. We chase after institutions, popular local spots and secret corners to marvel at dishes that make us happy. Our passion for cooking means that we're always on the lookout for quality food, but when it comes to spices, we've realised that there's a real lack of transparency, which translates into a lack of taste. Whether through our online travel guide Lytchee TV or our e-shop Yaksha, our priority is to rediscover the authentic flavours of each dish through exceptional products.
Creativity on the plate
« In the kitchen, we let ourselves be surprised by creating spice blends from all over the world. »
Masala chai lover
About Jenny
When I'm travelling, I feel fulfilled and my friends and family notice it without me even revealing the slightest feeling. Looking for business partners and visiting their plantations is a new challenge that requires an intrepid spirit. It's true that you quickly find yourself in ambivalent situations where fear mixes with excitement. It's these feelings that get me excited. When I get back, after just a few days, I already want to set off around the world again, but I comfort myself by cooking up some travel souvenirs, like a delicious masala chai.
Curry lovers
About Sylvain
An enthusiastic lover of good produce and perfect aesthetics, I cook delicately spiced and creative dishes on a daily basis. You eat with your eyes first. If the presentation is meticulous, you'll want to eat the dish as quickly as possible. Constantly on the lookout for culinary innovation, I come up with new and sometimes unlikely combinations of flavours. By experimenting in the kitchen and travelling to the four corners of the world, I create curries that explode in your mouth.
In 2016, we spent 6 months travelling around Asia, because after several trips to Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, we feel right at home. It's a part of the world that particularly appeals to us for its welcoming people, its marvellous temples and its delicious cuisine. Whether you're in South-East Asia, China or India, you're in for a treat, with a wide variety of dishes to choose from. In India and China, for example, each region has its own specialities, and within these same countries, travelling between the different states allows you to discover new dishes. It's like travelling through one country after another in Europe. These two countries are so immense that they could be compared to continents. Between them, they offer a multitude of varied dishes. In South-East Asia, it's well known that the food is often prepared fresh before your eyes, and the meals are very appetising. In fact, over the last few years there has been a clear trend towards eating more Asian dishes.
Notre blog de voyage: Lytchee
Notre concept de guide de voyage sous format vidéo
As you'll have gathered, we love cooking, cooking and cooking. Sometimes we even post some of our culinary creations on an Instagram account called holy_chili. This allows us to remember what we cooked the previous year when we're short of inspiration. In Switzerland, we buy our vegetables on the farm or at the market, so that we can prepare seasonal produce, and we visit local shops to avoid supermarkets as much as possible. Yoghurt, bread and sweets are all homemade. In terms of diet, we'd say we're flexitarians: we try to replace meat with plant proteins as much as possible. After that, we keep an open mind, but we don't stick to any particular diet. We enjoy all types of cuisine, from street food to bistronomy, traditional cooking and haute cuisine.
Yaksha? But where does the name come from? In Indian mythology, Yaksha is a class of nature spirits who watch over the treasures hidden in the earth or in the roots of trees. So he's the guardian of our spices.
When we travel, we always take part in cooking classes or food tours to learn the techniques of each cook and to get to know the spices, herbs, vegetables, snacks and other local specialities better. In India, many people we know invite us into their kitchens to prepare local dishes alongside them. So we get together with other foodies to share our passion for cooking.
« Our role is to bring you the exceptional spice of each unique terroir. »
This combination of a passion for travelling, meeting local people and cooking is what drives us to give all our energy to Yaksha.
It's mainly in the field that we develop our in-depth knowledge of spices by passing on the know-how of our producers. We travel the world, meeting farmers and visiting their plantations to learn more about each spice. The best time to visit is during the harvest period, so you can better understand the process, from the moment the spice is picked until it is ready to be eaten. Every stage counts, as there are different methods to consider.
Pepper, for example, is dried in the sun, but some more fragile spices, such as cardamom, have to be dried in an oven. How can you tell a good spice from a bad one? For over five years, we've been sharing, discussing, tasting and ordering several samples to find out the quality of each spice. Our presence in the field, our local encounters, our privileged contacts, our visits to plantations and our learning of techniques all contribute to our expertise. Our role is to bring you the exceptional spice from each unique terroir.
« Our presence in the field, our local meetings, our privileged contacts, our visits to plantations and our learning of techniques all contribute to our expertise. »