After anchovies and prawn curry, a royal menu with korma, puran poli goes viral

First, an old royal menu went viral and sparked a debate. Now, another menu from the same era is doing the rounds on the internet, serving up a different side of the story.

It was just last week that we had reported about a royal menu from at least a century ago which was curated in honour of Maharaja Madhavrao Scindia I by none other than Baroda’s Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. The European-style feast was opulent and of course gave a sneak peek into the grand lifestyle of the Indian royals from yesteryears.

It had quite a fancy spread - anchovies, asparagus puree, exquisitely prepared fish, Russian salad, and so much more.

You can read more on that here.

Of course, the menu went viral, but the reception was mixed. While one section was in awe of the grandeur, there were others who debated over the choice of cuisine. They were upset over the fact that the royal dinner did not include anything Indian.

Cut to a few days later, the internet did what it does best, someone dug up another menu from around the same time (though we can’t verify if it is from the same time Madhavrao Scindia I’s was visiting Baroda).

And let’s just say, it tells a very different story, or should we say, a different menu.

A social media user who goes by the name Devashish Kulkarni on X, shared a post about another menu.

The royal food story

The European-style menu offered a glimpse into what the dinner table looked like. But this now-viral piece of paper? It gives a whiff of what was on the breakfast table on one fine Friday morning.

Titled “Bhojan Darpan”, which translates to what we call a “menu”, this is not your everyday list of dishes. The first section is titled “Hindustani” and seems to be a pretty indulgent spread for breakfast, with around 17 dishes.

Now, fair warning: the names of these dishes don’t exactly translate neatly into what we know today. The spellings are old, the language has changed, and some of it is lost in translation. But here’s what we could loosely piece together, just a few familiar flavours dressed in history. So, please stay on course with us.

Seemingly, the menu includes some rich gravies, korme nargoso, korme duraaz. Korma, as we know it today, is a rich, aromatic gravy that traces its origin to Mughlai cuisine.

Then there’s do pyaaze vaalan and do pyaaze kochak. Do pyaza is a slow-cooked curry with generous amounts of onions, cooked to perfection to bring out sweetness and depth.

Then there’s also mention of nadirshahi biryani mursa mushko nankin, and biryani tarapasand mursse ambanri nankin. There are quieter dishes too, like kaloye jimikand (elephant yam), slow-cooked with spices—simple, but deeply comforting.

Then the course shifts to the “Brahmani menu”, which refers to a traditional, vegetarian and often sattvic spread followed in many Maharashtrian Brahmin households.

This is where you find puran poli, a soft flatbread stuffed with a sweet lentil filling, rolled out gently and cooked with ghee. There’s shrikhand, thick hung curd whisked with sugar and saffron until it turns into something both light and indulgent. Kesari bhaat, a fragrant sweet rice dish tinted with saffron, and moong dal—simple, comforting, and balanced.

Even the sweets here—motichoor ladoo or ghewar—feel festive, the kind you’d associate with occasions rather than everyday meals. And treating another royal is definitely an occasion!

That’s not quite it.

The menu also boasts a French dessert- Gele panache avec la creme fouette l’ananas, which is a fruit jelly served with whipped cream and pineapple.
What stands out isn’t just the variety, but the coexistence. Rich Mughlai gravies alongside sattvic Maharashtrian dishes. Deep-fried sweets next to slow-set desserts. And a European flourish to finish it off. Quite a spread for breakfast!

The food debate

This isn’t the first time people have questioned what’s on the table. Just a few months ago, when the EU delegation visited India, President Droupadi Murmu’s state dinner was praised for highlighting Kumaoni cuisine, but also drew questions over the absence of non-vegetarian dishes. A similar thing happened when the President of Seychelles arrived.

As these menus go viral, they reveal a larger story about India’s rich culinary heritage. Beyond regional flavours, the cuisine carries influences of Awadhi and Mughlai traditions, with a touch of its colonial past. And these royal feasts are proof.

- Ends