Food with a whiff of history!

Manika Ahuja

Loads of delectable dishes, right from Chinese and Italian to Lebanese and Thai, adorn platters of a country whose capital boasts of a rich culinary landscape. Is it a welcome evolution of the food palate to embrace ‘foreign’ cuisines, or a rather unfortunate sign of our indigenous delicacies losing their importance? Well, who cares, foodies are always game for gorging into any cuisine as long as the aroma leads their senses. Just pull out a chair, tuck in a napkin and eat to your heart’s content-simple!

But come to think of it, traditional indigenous food items reflect a continuum of age-old history and culture of a place, in more ways than one. “Indeed. Take for instance the diverse cuisine of Old-Delhi. People from varied communities call the metro city their home, which is precisely what the traditional Delhi palate reflects- a wide variety of cuisines native to India,” inform Chefs Mohammed Mofid, and Abdul Rehman Qureshi in Chandigarh to lure you with authentic Old Delhi-style flavours as part of ongoing food festivals at WelcomHotel Bella Vista and Hotel Holiday Inn, respectively.

Traditional Delhi treat

Pointing towards some of the Purani Dilli dishes being showcased at Delhnavi Daawat- a food festival being hosted by Hotel Bella Vista, Mofid and Executive Chef Duddi Reny Manohar, share notes on some glaring changes that have surfaced in the food arena, “People have become way more experimental and open to new cuisines. Also, unlike before, they love being aware of what goes in their food- the calories et al.”

Hog on

Some must-try Delhnavi Daawat dishes — Paneer Tulsi Tikka, Silbatte ke Shami, Dilli ki Nihari, Hare Masale ki Machli and Kathhal ka Haleem. Put your sweet tooth cravings to rest by binging on delectable desserts such as Mango chennapayesh and Zafrani Zarda. A meal for two would cost Rs 1,600 (approx).

Flavours of Purani Dilli

One food festival paying a tribute to India’s food capital, doesn’t seem quite fair, right? Fret not, for here’s another! Bringing mouth-watering Delhi zaika to Tricity foodies, is Purani Dilli Ka Zaika, hosted by Hotel Holiday Inn Chandigarh Panchkula. Executive Chef Abdul Rehman Qureshi rues that it is rather tragic to see millennial fast forgetting “their own traditional cuisine, which is why this fest.”

Hog on

Battling the urge to gorge on paranthas straight from Delhi’s Paranthe Wali Gali? Look no further, for the fest brings to you platter-full of delicious paranthas sprinkled with authentic Purani Dilli spices. Other offerings include Mughal style Gosht ki Nihari and Chicken Changezi. While sweet nothings include Gur Ke Chawal and Kesar Phirni with strawberry. Meal for one Rs. 875 (approx). On till July 31.