A curated menu celebrating India's Himalayan culinary heritage was served at a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday in the honour of European Union leaders Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen.
European Council President Costa and European Commission President von der Leyen were the chief guests at the Republic Day celebrations.
The menu showcased regional ingredients and traditional cooking techniques from the Himalayan belt, drawing inspiration from Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Northeast, presenting them in a contemporary fine-dining format.
The meal began with dishes such as 'jakhiya aloo' with green tomato chutney and 'jhangora ki kheer' with 'meah loon' and white chocolate, followed by a soup course featuring 'sunderkala thichoni', a buckwheat noodle preparation from Uttarakhand with Tibetan influences.
Accompaniments included yak cheese custard with 'bhaang mathri', 'bichhu buti patta' glazed with mustard and 'lauki' (bottle gourd), and winter carrot 'kadhi'.
The main course highlighted 'guchhi' (morels) and Solan mushrooms with poppy seeds, burnt tomato sauce and Himachali swarnu rice, accompanied by a trio of chutneys made from rai leaf, Kashmiri walnut, roasted tomato and akhuni.
Desserts included Himalayan ragi and Kashmiri apple cake with timru and sea buckthorn cream, coffee custard with dates and raw cacao, and Himalayan honey-dressed persimmon, according to the menu.
The dishes were curated in collaboration with chefs Prateek Sadhu and Kamlesh Negi, reflecting Rashtrapati Bhavan's emphasis on promoting India's rich culinary heritage.
The visit of Costa and von der Leyen assumed added significance as it marked the first time that the two top leaders of the European Union attended India's 77th Republic Day celebrations as chief guests.
The visit also coincided with India and the European Union sealing a landmark free trade agreement on Tuesday, described by officials as the "mother of all deals", with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the EU leadership unveiling an expansive agenda to deepen cooperation in trade and defence and to strengthen engagement towards a rules-based global order.
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