Shahi Paneer, Butter Naan, Biriyani, Kheer and such– is what comes to mind when one talks about Indian dinner– Royal Indian dinner to be specific. In fact,
considering how royalty was thriving a few decades ago– it makes sense for such dishes to end up on their tables, especially for a dinner table that hosted more than one Maharaja, correct? Well, wrong! Based on this royal dinner menu from the 19th century, their plates hardly had anything Indian, or so it is at least the case for this particular dinner hosted by the Maharaja of Baroda, for the Maharaja of Gawalior; Maharaja Sein diya. Reportedly, the New York Public Library recently digitised and transcribed nearly 45,000 menus. These menus were from all over the world, as per Homegrown. The dates of these menus spanned from the 1840s to the present time. Just like every other menu out there, they too had every information about the dishes that were served– from their names to their prices. The volunteer-driven project digitised over 9,000 menus, reportedly in just 3 months– talk about ‘God Speed’. The archives are with the Rare Books Division of the Library, while the intent behind taking over such an elaborated project was to give a glimpse of the past- as far as food is concerned- to chefs, researchers, history students and enthusiasts. All in all, a ‘culinary’ treasure. Coming back to Maharaja of Baroda’s dinner– a menu of his dinner hosted for Maharaja Sein diya was also found among the same lot, which went viral and left everyone talking. The dinner was hosted on January 31, 1897, at the Laxami Vilas palace. Based on the menu, it was a fine Sunday dinner, which largely served exotic French dishes, along with a few Italian ones. “Jan. 31. 1897. Dinner in honor of the Maharaja Sein diya of Gawalior. India. by the Maharaja of Baroda,” the invitation read. “MENU. LAXAMI VILAS PALACE, 31-1-97 Sunday 7-30 P. M. Fotage d' Amandes. Poisson Braise sauce Mayonnaise. Crême de Volaille truffes. Côtelettes de mouton 'a l' Italienne. Selle de perdreau rôtie aux Petits Pois. Fonds d' artichauts 'a la demi-glace. Curry de Macedoine de Legumes et Ris. Pommes a la crême. Glace' de Pistachoo,” the menu read. The menu was also shared on social media, with the caption reading, “Not what you’d expect a 19th-century dinner hosted by the Maharaja of Baroda for the Maharaja of Gwalior to look or taste like, featuring truffles, artichokes, and way too many fancy French names & stuff.” ALSO READ: 'Palang Tod': Varanasi's Famous Sweet — The Story Behind This 'Bed-Breaker' Dessert Will Surprise You Check out the post: The post was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the handle ‘nehavermani’.
