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A tweet from a US academic calling Indian food "terrible" has sparked a hot debate about cultural intolerance and racism in international cuisine.

"Indian food is terrible and we pretend it isn't," said international affairs professor Tom Nichols.

Critics called his comment a tasteless generalisation.

The remark led to a wider discussion of the immigrant experience and how many in the US have experienced racism in relation to food.

Mr Nichols - who teaches at the US Naval War College in Rhode Island - posted his opinion after another Twitter user had asked for "controversial food opinions".

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Critics were quick to respond. "Do you not have taste buds?" asked celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi.

"Imagine going through life this flavourless," wrote another commenter.

Preet Bharara, a former prosecutor from New York, tweeted: "Tom, I'll take you to a place. We need to bring the country together. #ButterChickenSummit."

Others said Mr Nichols had probably tried "less than 1%" of all Indian dishes, which come from a hugely diverse country. Mr Nichols later admitted that he had only ever eaten at Indian restaurants in the US and UK.

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Mr Nichols' initial tweet led to a wider discussion about the way food plays into the immigrant experience.

Some noted that in the US, international food - sometimes called "ethnic food" - is often marketed as "cheap eats". Therefore many people are more familiar with pared-down, "Americanised" street dishes that lack authentic ingredients.

"There is no 'Indian' food'," wrote one commenter .

"Also there is no curry flavour. There is no chai tea," she added, referring to the fact that chai is simply a word meaning "tea" in Hindi, and "curry" is a style of dish, rather than a flavouring.

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Others pointed out how smell and flavour have long been prevalent in racist comments towards minorities, and accused Mr Nichols of intolerance.

First-generation American Saira Rao wrote: "Having white people trash Indian food is extremely triggering as an Indian who has been told that I smell weird, that my food smells weird and that Indians [expletive] on the street which is why everything we are smells bad."

As the story drew attention in Indian media, the hashtag #MyFavoriteIndianFood started trending.

US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, whose mother's family hails from south India, shared a teaser for a cooking video with comedian Mindy Kaling using the hashtag.

But some foodies dismissed the row outright saying simply: "I see someone on twitter has racist views on Indian food. Well, more for me then."

Video caption From korma to coconuts – the evolution of Indian cuisine in the UK

Others took similar issue with a "controversial food" tweet from ABC senior reporter Terry Moran, who said: "Chinese food is tired. It's boring, gloppy, over-salted and utterly forgettable."

One person replied to his tweet: "Oh Lord here we go again with bubble-inhabiting white guy, announcing his pathetic ignorance of an entire cuisine and its myriad regional varieties".

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Asian food lovers rounded on Moran, accusing him of having only eaten at takeout restaurants and never tasted authentic cuisine from the most populated country on Earth.