Eid food in India: A look at Bhopali, Bohra and Memon culinary traditions

Eid food in India: A look at Bhopali, Bohra and Memon culinary traditions

At Jehan Numa Palace in Bhopal, in the holy month of Ramzan, I am shown a mango tree said to be nearly 100 years old. A few years ago, it took a direct lightning strike and had to be cut back sharply; since then, it yields barely a dozen mangoes each season, a few claimed by the staff while the rest find their way into the kitchen. Dinner, as it turns out, is served under this very tree.

Taj-ul-Masajid in Bhopal, India’s largest mosque | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

The setting is not incidental. General Obaidullah Khan — the second son of Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum, one of Bhopal’s most influential rulers and the last of its remarkable line of female sovereigns, known for administrative reforms and a relatively austere court culture — served as Commander-in-Chief of the Bhopal State Forces. Under him, time outdoors was woven into daily life. Hunting expeditions were common, and meals were often taken under trees, with family and guests gathering in the open after long hours outside. Sitting here now feels less like staging and more like a continuation of that habit.

Green chicken rizala | Photo Credit: R.Mathew

The meal, The General’s Table, a 20-course feast that people can sign up for (prices vary according to the season), draws from the kitchens of Bhopal’s former royals. The courses move through kebabs, curries, rice dishes and desserts with a certain ease.

Dry curries dominate the table in Bhopal | Photo Credit: R.Mathew