
On Thursday, Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna worked with NFT marketplace Akshaya.io to publish his first 'phygital' limited-edition book Sacred Foods of India in Dubai.
The word 'phygital' suggests that the book will be accessible in both physical and NFT versions for purchase. Sanjeh Raja purchased its first unit from ICCA (International Centre of Culinary) for $50,000. (nearly Rs. 40 lakh).
Sacred Delicacies of India include recipes for prasad and foods provided at many sacred sites around India. It may be bought from the Akshaya website beginning June 25, and the NFT of the book, along with its "digital twin," will be minted instantly.
This twin will be linked to the actual book and will be unique to the physical copy's owner. Furthermore, the site allows users to purchase using either their crypto wallet or any fiat cash.
This purchase guarantees the uniqueness of this limited-edition work, and ownership of the asset cannot be reproduced in any way.
Ganesh Raju, CEO of Akshaya.io, stated during the inauguration, "Beginning today, the globe will see a new transformation in the digital sphere! And we are excited to collaborate with Vikas Khanna to make NFTs of his most important work to date. Web 3.0 will change the way collectors of one-of-a-kind items interact with him. Given Chef Vikas Khanna's renown and the originality of this book, we anticipate that the NFTs of this work will gain prominence over time."
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital assets that may be used to trade across items, even those that are only available online. An NFT is a non-transferable unit of data that may be sold or exchanged on a blockchain. Metaverse, NFT, and other sophisticated technologies are part of the Web 3.0 transition that the world is currently experiencing.
This is Khanna's first partnership with a Web 3.0 firm, and there is a potential that he may generate additional augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) assets for his works and inventions in the future.