Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: Kababs, yes, but khandvi too

Mughlai cuisine has as many veg dishes as meaty ones. A new translation of a 16th century manuscript shows how Emperors ate, and why modern labels are pointless

Few Indian food terms are as misused as Mughlai. Wikipedia tells us that Mughlai refers to the food of the Mughals, which sounds fair enough, but then the entry goes on to bracket so-called Mughal dishes with food from the Delhi Sultanate, which predated the Mughals, and specialties from the Awadh court, which later developed a different cuisine of its own, quite distinct from the food of the Mughals in Delhi.

In Emperor Jahangir’s court, cooks used at least 12 varieties of rice, including the short grain Sukhdev.

Haleem is a dish that has acquired multiple variations as it was passed between cultures. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Salma Yusuf Husain’s translation of this book offers a taste of the food of Emperor Jahangir’s court.

The Mughals ate Gujarati-style dishes such as baingan ka bharta too.