Putting heritage on the menu

NEW DELHI: The Shivaliks look down on us. The Ganga flows peacefully in front of the house. An ancient banyan stands in the courtyard of Pilibhit House, a 150-year-old haveli set next to the river, and under its shade, preparations are afoot to lay out a high tea.

On the menu are traditional delicacies such as Haridwar’s famous kanji bade and kachori as well as the artful chandrakala, round and dexterously creased into a flower shape, filled with dried melon sweets and nuts. It is a mithai that Haridwar’s Thanda Kuan area was famous for.

But now, tourists, coming here increasingly for leisure rather than only religious purposes, can get a taste of these delicacies without stepping into crowded markets. Old family homes by the Ganga turned into boutique hotels like this one are reviving not just the leisured living of the past but also a taste for local sweets and snacks.

At Pilibhit House, for instance, chef Bhanu Shekhawat says that he learnt to make traditional chaat items from local shops and contracts out the making of the highly-specialised chandrakala to a local halwai, but after ensuring high-quality ingredients are used. He has also put on the menu elusive drinks like a Buransh (rhododendron flower) sherbet and Baal mithai synonymous with the Garhwal and

Kumaon

regions of Uttarakhand; the ancient temple town being a gateway city to the mountains.

In the post pandemic world, domestic travellers are keen to explore authentic experiences such as heritage stays and foods from different regions of India.

At Bari Kothi, a lovingly restored 250-year-old mansion of a Shehwali Jain family in Azimganj, Murshidabad, a big draw is the unique thali featuring lesser-known delicacies such as the kacche aam ki kheer that the community was known for. The vegetarian cuisine is a mix of Marwari and Bengali influences and had almost disappeared until being revived by a few enterprising members of the community.

Sometimes, old homes have been restored not just for stay experience but to capture the dining of the past. In Goa, Anisha

Hassan

’s elegant 150-year-old home is full of black and white pictures of her family with its mixed Hyderabadi and

Goan

roots. This was her mother’s and grandmother’s home. Its beautiful garden, colourful walls and personal effects still tell tales of familial warmth.

Hassan has turned the house into a restaurant and cooks meals that her family was known for. Saligao Stories is located in a quiet, non-touristy area and serves almost forgotten Hyderabadi and Goan dishes like chakoli (a Hyderabadi delicacy, where wheat discs are cooked with mutton in a tomato gravy), mamish (a frothy rose-flavoured milk drink), dedoz de dama (a marzipan dessert that looks like ladies finger!). “Guests are excited to try these old family recipes as many are now coming to Goa seeking heritage experiences,” Hassan says.

A distinct travel preference seems to be for an older slice of life and small groups of friends and families are now choosing hotels and restaurants that offer them this. “For her fortieth birthday, a close friend recently took eight of us to the Ahilya Fort hotel owned by the

Holkar

royals, and the highlight was a white-themed dinner,” says chef Chiquita Gulati from Delhi’s Spice Market, who recently went on this holiday to Maheshwar.

The all-white dinners held in the moonlight are a throwback to chandni dinners hosted by the Mughals and later other royals, pre-Independence, where all dishes served would be white, the guests would wear white and the meal was laid out on white sheets against white bolsters. A similar chandani or sufiana dinner with old Rajput delicacies such as safed maas is also offered by

Narendra Bhawan

, Bikaner, located by a lake a few miles out of the city. As the moonlight makes patterns on the water and the candles glimmer on the tables, there is a sense of being transported into the past.