Have you wondered why Parma ham is disappearing from the antipasti displays of major Italian restaurants in five-star hotels? Here's the reason. The Indian Agriculture Ministry has banned the import of Italian meat products on health grounds.

There's nothing new about these country-specific bans -- the last target was Australia, which led to the disappearance of Australian lamb chops and beef products from Indian menus for quite some time. We know that these bans have nothing to do with health. We just hope for the sake of diners that the political reason for the current ban against Italian meat products is resolved and Parma ham is back on the menus. The Spaniards are cashing in on the ban, which is why you'll see most hotels offering Serrano ham. Chorizo sausages, too, are rapidly gaining popularity. -- Sourish Bhattacharyya