A melting pot called Dilli

Food fantasies

Can food be termed an ‘intangible heritage’ and can conservationists harp and conserve it in its true form? By many, Delhi is considered the melting pot of food culture in India. It does have things quaint and succulent to offer but opinions vary if it can exclusively be called ‘Dilli’s food’.

“Delhi’s food cannot be considered as Delhi’s own,” says Pushpesh Pant, food critic and historian, his book, India: The Cookbook (2011) which was rated by The New York Times as one of the best cookbooks of the year.

“People keep calling Delhi food as Mughlai, but what is Mughlai food? References to kebabs and biryani were also made in epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. One very specific shloka in Ramayana says that Sita’s favourite dish is rice cooked with meat. And the technique of meat cooking on charcoal has existed in our Vedas and Mahabharata texts as well. Though the concept of tandoor came much later,” says Pant.

Babso Kanwar, who is co-working with Pant on his upcoming book about history of Delhi food, tells Metrolife that according to facts only Babar lived in Delhi. None of the other Mughal rulers really lived in Delhi. Akbar spent most of his time in Agra and also took his last breath there. So the kulfi which we say is the best in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, may also not be considered as the Islamic delicacy.

Kanwar says, “Delhi is like a multi-layered parantha. Like paranthas are authentically from Uttar Pradesh, one can say that Delhi has adopted foods and cooking techniques from various places and built upon it.”

She gave the example of a Kolkata roll, which is very readily available in Chittaranjan Park, Alaknanda and its vicinity, but a rumali roti with seekh kebab in Sanjha Chulha and others, is only its variant. “These dishes have no history in specific. Food also crosses borders and adapts with different cultures. For example, something like Tandoori Momos, one will find only in Delhi,” says Kanwar.

Pant says, “Before Chandni Chowk there were other old Delhi cities, first being Indraprastha. So, even before the Mughals, Delhi had food.”

“Karims, Jama Masjid is famous because they say their cooks have served as khansamas since Shahjahan’s time. But then why does it say ‘Since 1930’?” questions Pant. According to him, it is a myth that Delhi food is Mughlai and terming every food as Mughlai, is generic.

Pant who has travelled extensively, including the remotest parts of India, with the exception of Arunachal Pradesh, says “The food in various State Bhavans in Delhi also cannot be taken as authentic. The food does not reflect culinary passion. Whereas bhavans are supposed to be serving staple food of the states, their food is largely tweaked.”

A khichdi, which is a Gujarati delicacy, or a Rabri, are going to missed by Delhi foodies when they see and consume it in its true form. “Khichdi here is given to people with upset stomach and if you go to Kolkata or Gujarat it is one of their best dishes.”

He agrees that rice, barley and dal have been in India since time immemorial and different cultures have used them differently.

Gurpreet Singh Tikku, a foodie and blogger says, “Good food can also be food from a dhaba. A lot of food in Delhi has come from the dhaba culture. These dhabas were first built by refugees, one very famous being Rajinder ka Dhaba, in Safdarjang. The first man who established it, made it in a space between a forest area, illegally. The food was for truckers and commuters, but its great food made some elite of that time go there as well.”

Tikku says that Rajinder ka Dhaba now has four outlets in Safdarjang and is more like a business enterprise. As real estate prices go up, dhabas are vanishing. “But dhabas like Amritsari Kulchewala in Paschim Vihar, Kake da Dhaba and Bhape da Dhaba in Connaught Place are still retaining their quality.”

“Quality consistency is the most important for restaurants. One vada pav that you have in Mumbai cannot be the same anywhere in Delhi. The newly opened Shiv Sagar in Delhi, imports their pavs every alternate day from Mumbai. Just to keep up their authenticity,” says Tikku.

“Water plays an important role in food’s authenticity. And every places’ water is different,” Tikku adds.

Tikku, Pant and Kanwar agree on the same thing – as Delhi builds on its palate with more ‘authentic’ Indian and International cuisines, the knack and love of cooking is vanishing.“A simple dal chawal if cooked with love can be a delicacy,” they say.