India’s culinary heritage from the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha was on display at the banquet President Droupadi Murmu hosted for the visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva here on Saturday.Each course of the menu was inspired by the flavours and ingredients of the traditional cuisines of Odisha and West Bengal, known for subtle spicing and use of seasonal produce.On Lula da Silva’s plate was a spread of eastern flavours — from tamatar panch phoron and jhalmuri, the soup and street food elements from Bengal, to kakharu besara and ghanta tarkari served with chakuli and pitha, the traditional Odia dish of pumpkin cooked in delicate mustard based sauce.For desserts, Lula had a selection of Bengali delicacies patishapta (thin rice crepe with sweetened coconut filling) and nolen gur ice cream (frozen date palm jaggery) to choose from and for the final touches there was the world famous Darjeeling tea and the up and coming Koraput coffee that has its origins in India’s Eastern Ghats.Famous Bengali street food jhalmuri was part of the menu.In another notable departure from routine, the Brazilian President was served the main course on a specially crafted terracotta plate unique to Bengal, while the tables were adorned with Odisha’s handwoven Navakothi-design runners. Top Rashtrapati Bhavan sources said the recent practice has been to showcase India’s finest culinary and craft traditions to visiting heads of state.Menu at the banquet for the President of European Council Antonio Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who were the Republic Day guests, was inspired by the Himalayan cuisines.Rooted in regional produce and ancient cooking techniques, the dishes served to the EU leaders echoed the diversity from Kashmir and Ladakh to Himachal, Uttarakhand and North-East.President of Seychelles Patrick Herminie was likewise served a menu influenced by centuries-old cultural ties the two nations share as cohabitants of the Indian Ocean Region. Each course at the banquet for the Seychelles head of state showcased elements of cuisines from India’s coastal regions of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, where spices, coconut, bananas, lentils and rice form part of the rhythm of daily lives.For Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President House had arranged a special Indian cuisine complete with zafrani paneer, palak methi matar, aloo bharwan, achaari baingan and yellow dal.
