Rashtrapati Bhavan served 6-course Tamilian meal to Cyprus President that contained just 750 calories

Rashtrapati Bhavan is known for promoting and positioning traditional culinary heritage on the global map. Recently, President Droupadi Murmu and her team showcased the rich culinary grandeur of Tamil Nadu at the state banquet hosted in honour of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides. The gala banquet dinner saw the presence of Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, among others. According to official data, the menu was curated by chef and holistic wellness expert KS Mahesh Ishwar, who created a 6-course menu dedicated to Tamil Nadu. The official document reads, "This evening's menu has been created and presented in collaboration with Chef K S Mahesh, a renowned culinary professional and researcher from Tamil Nadu, who specialises in functional nutrition and wellness gastronomy. Chef Mahesh has also worked consistently to bring Tamil cuisine depth. His focus is on advancing nutrition-led culinary education, by blending traditional Indian culinary heritage with contemporary science. Scroll down to read the details.

According to a The Hindu report, the dinner was made on a very healthy side and Mahesh, who specialises in functional nutrition and wellness gastronomy, planned the meal such that the dining experience was not more than 750 calories. The report states that the menu was Mahesh's ode to his South Indian roots and flavours from the kitchen of his late mother Kunnathur Annapoorni. He worked with a team of 14 cooks, of which four were home cooks from places such as Thanjavur and Coimbatore.

The menu features dishes from several districts of Tamil Nadu. The report states that there was Brinji Pulao, Sodhi, Kadala Curry. For soup, there was Kunnathur Vellai Poosani Mor Kuzhambu. There was also an air-fried version of Thattu Vadai. In his interview with The Hindu, Mahesh mentioned, “We made a juice with naatu thakkali, with which we infused water from vadu manga," which made for a sharp and pungent drink that had a balanced spice level. The 6-course menu also included Panagam with blue-pea flowers, and there were mocktails made with vetiver. The welcome drink at Ashok Mandapam also included naatu thakkali, which is countryside tomatoes infused with raw mango bitters. And sangapushpam, a blue-ped flower tea sweetened with nannari khus root. For a starter, he had made Avocado Gothsu, which is a traditional tangy South Indian dish from Tamil Nadu mostly made with brinjal or tomato and it was served on adai like tacos. On the table, they also served neer moru, buttermilk infused with ginger and curry leaves. The menu read, "Buttermilk is considered one of the best digestive drinks in Ayurveda, it improves gut function and reduces heaviness after meals. For soup, there was kunnathur vellai poosani mor kuxhambu. It was made with roasted pumpkin and ash gourd, infused with coconut, cumin and curry leaf. According to the menu, in Ayurveda, pumpkin and ash gourd are revered as highly nourishing and cooling superfoods. And for salad and chutney, there was karamani and mundhiri sundal/brahmi chutney, and chinna thakkali chutney, which refers to black-eyed peas and cashew salad, brahmi chutney, and tomato chutney. According to the menu, brahmi herb is used to improve brain function and memory in Ayurvedic medicine.