When Aishwarya Jha and Sara Abdullah set out to tell Delhi's story through food, they discovered that people were most fascinated by the flavours they had never encountered before. Recipes from Kayastha and Baniya kitchens, forgotten community traditions and unfamiliar ingredients proved to be compelling storytellers. That discovery inspired the next chapter of their journey: Kahaani: Foods of India, a three-day cultural festival presented by Indophile from November 13 to 15 at Delhi's historic Travancore Palace.
Kahaani: Foods of India aims to discover and rediscover the flavours of Delhi through food
The idea follows the success of their debut festival, Kahaani: Dilli Ki, held earlier this year. For the co-founders, it reinforced a belief that India's culinary heritage is best understood through its families, communities and kitchens rather than mainstream restaurant menus.
“Attendees were amazed to discover these unknown flavours of the city, from different communities such as Kayastha, Baniya and more,” they recall. “We hope people take away that sense of vastness, a greater understanding of India's culinary diversity and sophistication. Most of all, we hope they leave with a re-awakened love for India, in all its beauty and raunaq,” they add.
Their Guru Maa, whose vision inspired Indophile, shares their commitment to preserving lesser-known traditions. “Through Kahaani, we seek to bring lesser-known cultural treasures into the light, ensuring that the knowledge and traditions they embody continue to be experienced and carried forward,” she says.
Curated in partnership with Edible Archives' Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar and Shalini Krishen, the festival brings together 12 chefs from 12 regions, exploring everything from Ladakhi and Awadhi food to Syrian Christian cuisine from Kerala and Adivasi traditions from Jharkhand.
Among the participating chefs is Goa-based Shubhra Shankhwalker, who grew up in a Gaud Saraswat Brahmin family, learning recipes from her mother, aunts and mother-in-law. She hopes to challenge the perception that Goan food is defined largely by its Portuguese and coastal influences. “There is a rich world of Hindu home cooking and community food traditions that deserves to be experienced,” she says. Her menu features regional classics such as Uddamethi, Ambadyachi Karam and dried prawn kismur.
Chef Jigmet Mingyur, a former monk of 14 years who began his formal culinary exploration in 2015, will showcase the diversity of trans-Himalayan cuisine. “When we say Thukpa, people most often visualise a noodle soup, but we have very different varieties of Thukpas,” he says, pointing to the region's use of wild herbs and ingredients. “The highlight is not only the food, but also the history behind it.”
Beyond the culinary experience, Kahaani will transform Travancore Palace into a cultural mela, with folk musicians, dancers, traditional street artists and a craft bazaar. A pop-up 'Museum of Everyday Objects', organised with the IGNCA, will display antique brassware, traditional utensils and culinary artefacts.
The programme also includes live demonstrations by chefs Ritu Dalmia and Manish Mehrotra, alongside discussions featuring Suvir Saran, Marryam Reshi and Ruchira Hoon. For Jha and Abdullah, the larger ambition is to make people look beyond familiar food narratives and discover the extraordinary diversity of India's culinary inheritance.
This article is written by Deepali Dhingra
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