New Delhi is hosting the 18th BRICS Summit from September 12 to 13, with many world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in attendance.
Some of the most meaningful conversations may begin not in the Summit’s conference rooms but around the dining table. For that, the Taj Mahal, New Delhi, has been preparing a culinary experience designed to introduce international delegates to India’s rich food heritage while making them feel at home. The hotel has incorporated flowers and ingredients as sources of inspiration, including the lotus and orchids, and transformed these references into curated pralines, mithais and savouries. The chef added, “One of the more distinctive elements is a culinary map of India, designed to introduce delegates to the country’s geographical and gastronomic diversity. The concept brings together references to different capitals and states, with regional savouries representing the distinct food traditions found across the country. “Alongside the food, a concept note has been prepared to explain the thinking behind the offerings and the significance of the ingredients and preparations selected for the summit. That attention to detail has required months of preparation. And perhaps the most personal touch comes in the form of a recipe book being presented to the delegates. The recipe book, much like the ‘India Friendship Menu’, turns food into something more than hospitality: a memory, a conversation starter, and a way to carry a piece of the experience beyond the summit.
The intention is to make the food presentation itself part of the larger experience, allowing delegates to encounter Indian ingredients and aesthetics in different forms,” he told ANI. Misra said the team spent between three and six months researching the preferences of delegates, including their likes and dislikes, before putting together the final experience,” he said. It contains chef-curated recipes from their mothers, a keepsake intended to be taken home with them after the summit, according to Misra.
