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Turning the pages of Gwalior’s food history
Summary
Gwalior’s history as a princely state close to Delhi, with influences of Nepal, Maharashtra and Gujarat, is reflected in the city’s food
The story of Gwalior’s culinary legacy is one of adaptation. The food—both on the street and in the homes of erstwhile aristocratic families—allows you to trace how flavours and dishes migrated with people, taking on hues and shades of the lands they moved through, before arriving in the city. Today, you will find dishes as diverse as puran poli and pohe to mutton barbat, pasande and Nepali ande as part of the city’s culinary landscape, offering a taste of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Awadh, and Nepal in the heart of Madhya Pradesh.
Like many old cities, Gwalior too has witnessed the rise of many dynasties, including the Guptas, Tomars and the Scindias, movement of people due to marriage, wars and work, and more. Each has added a unique culinary dimension to the food of Gwalior. And today, select homestays such as Krishnayan Heritage and restaurants like Silver Saloon at luxury hotels are offering a taste of this history.
But why should we be talking about the cuisine of Gwalior? The fact that it was a major princely state at one point of time, enjoyed proximity to cities such as Delhi and was cosmopolitan in nature, makes it an interesting study. With its overarching dominance in the last days of the Mughal empire, it imbibed a lot of influences from there, including in the food. With certain members of the Scindia family marrying into families from Nepal for three generations, a strong Nepalese influence has seeped into Gwalior’s food habits. The Silver Saloon at the Taj Usha Kiran offers a glimpse of this Maharashtrian-Nepalese culinary jugalbandi.
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Curated by Priyadarshini Raje Scindia— who champions the craft and culinary heritage of the city through the Gwalior Design Project and the food and hospitality organisation, the Seeti Movement—the menu at usha Kiran palace showcases the conversations between the two cuisines. So, you will find, both in the a la carte menu and the royal thali, a mix of dishes such as the tamatar saar, chara ko raas, or chicken clear soup flavoured with cumin and cinnamon, the sekwa, which is fish marinated in yogurt and cooked on a griddle, bhuteko bhaat, bharli vangi made with brinjals, and dal amti.
“My husband’s grandmother was Nepalese, as was his mother. I am also half Nepalese. So these are tastes that we have grown up with. Our table even today features a mix of Maratha and Nepali dishes—be it one Marathi dal, a Nepalese sabzi, or a typical chicken dish from Madhya Pradesh. To me, this constitutes the Gwalior table," explains Raje Scindia, who hails from the Gaekwad Maratha family of Vadodara. To her, showcasing this side of the culinary legacy is important to highlight the strong role that women have played in shaping family histories through taste Such conversations thus open up ways of understanding geographies, sociopolitics, migration, and more. “It gives a sense of how we travel. Take, the pasanda, which holds significance in both Gwalior and Vadodara kitchens. But in both places, it is cooked so differently. Due to Gwalior’s exposure to the Mughals, the pasanda here is more of a kebab and in Vadodara it is like a keema," she says.
If there was one dish that defines the culinary legacy of Gwalior, it would be the mutton barbat. The hot, fiery curry carries the essence of Maharashtra in the use of spices and the Gwalior-style of slow-cooking lamb. Made in large quantities by families of former statesmen and generals in the city during the festival of Dussehra, it is now being popularised by former havelis-turned-homestays like the Krishnayan Heritage. This structure, located in the heart of Gwalior, was constructed nearly a century ago by Sardar Anandrao Saheb Phalke Shamsher Jung Bahadur, whose ancestors came to Gwalior from Maharashtra with Mahadji Scindia. The haveli, built over 30 acres using only lime, pink sandstone and sugar, commemorated the birth of the first direct heir in the family after almost five generations of adoption.
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Today, it is run by Lalita and Vijay Chandrasenrao Phalke, who opened it up to guests in April 2022. Travellers who stay in this seven-room homestay, surrounded by heirloom art and objects, can also get a taste of Lalita’s family recipes. “Surprisingly, we have seen the foreign guests quite keen on tasting such dishes. Their only request is to adjust the spice levels," says Lalita. Some of her signature dishes include the kheema parsundi, which is similar to a Shepherd’s pie, sukha mutton chops with khada masala, vada kombda or chicken curry, and fish achaar made with sole. However, it is the barbat that she truly prides herself on. The signature black colour comes from an assortment of spices. such as whole red chillies, coriander, pathar phool, pepper, anise, and more.
“The barbat includes 24-25 masalas," says Sambhaji Awad, whose ancestors too came to Gwalior with the Scindias. Originally from the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, the family moved to fight alongside the Scindias during the Battle of Panipat. Since then, the Awads have been part of Gwalior’s nobility, and the current generation stays in a haveli in the Lashkar area. “Just like the authentic Kolhapuri masala can only be bought in Kolhapur, the barbat masala is only made in Gwalior. Our mutton barbat recipe— which takes two hours and more to cook on a chulha—has been passed down from generations, and we make the spice mix at home," says the 40-year-old, who now runs a construction company in the city.
Though the family is not into the hospitality sector, they open up their homes to select interested guests, who come through acquaintances, and are interested in the history of the haveli. Their culinary repast has taken on Nepalese influences as well, with its proximity to the Scindia family. One such dish that the Awads make is the Nepali ande, an egg gravy which is eaten cold. The masala for the same is still sourced from Nepal. “It features a unique ingredient found in the Nepalese mountains, which gives the dish such a unique taste," he adds.
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For those who wish to explore more of the city’s cuisine, Raje Scindia will be hosting the next edition of the Seeti Movement in November this year. Started last year with the idea of starting conversations around the generosity of food and culture. The responsibility the education and synergy of the food of India. the first edition featured conversations with chefs such as Manish Mehrotra, Manjeet Gill, Asma Khan and Karen Yepthomi. “It is not just Gwalior that is in focus but how does food become a way of looking at disaster management, diplomacy, linkages between craft and cuisine, migration, invention and more. We are looking at doing one main event in the city and three smaller ones in the rest of the country to join the dots," she says.
