Idli and Dosa may give way to Utthapam as a choice menu after the change of guard at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday but the cuisine at the table will continue to be vegetarian.

All during his five-year tenure, the 75-year-old A P J Abdul Kalam’s preferred menu at the table was Idli, Dosa and Sambar besides curd-rice, pickle and pappad, recalls a senior aide. The 72-year-old Pratibha Patil loves Utthapam and Dal but avoids spinach and potatoes. “She prefers a very simple food with less oil and spices,” says Kailash, her butler at the Governor’s residence in Jaipur.

A habitual late-eater at night, the missile-man had made it clear to the Comptroller of Household in Rashtrapati Bhavan to prepare all his meals only from the general kitchen, which caters to other staff members in the Presidential Estate.

Stopping the practice of a number of attendants in waiting till the President finished his dinner and retired for the night, Kalam insisted on holding back only one person to warm up his meals, which he used to take well-past midnight.

There have been occasions when Kalam required some help from other aides during the night. Leaving aside protocol, Kalam, who has earned a reputation of being a People’s President, picked up the phone and directly seek the information he required.

During the entire tenure, the family kitchen specially meant for the President was never operational.

The President, who skips lunch, had also a love for fruits of any type.  “Anything that was seasonal would satisfy him. We had created a Verandah garden for him in which Citrus japonica (China orange) grew. Defying the age-old principle of early to bed, Kalam used to sleep at around 1:30 am and to get up at 6:30 am.