The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Amritsar candidate Arun Jaitley, a veteran fighting his first-ever Lok Sabha election, might not remember when he first tasted and fell in love with the Amritsari kulcha, but he certainly does not forget to begin his day with it.
Jaitley has spent his whole life in Delhi, but says he has always had Amritsari cuisine on his table — the kulcha getting pride of place, and dal makhni and poori-chana essential parts of the fare.
“My roots are in this city. Hence, my food habits are purely Punjabi,” said Jaitley, “My mother was from Amritsar, and her cooking had a great impact on my food habits.”
Asked to mention a few delights exclusive to the city, his all-time favourites, Jaitley responded, “Anything Amritsari or cooked in the same style is my favourite. However, the famous tandoori kulcha with chana tops the list of my favourite foods.”
Even his party colleagues claim that Jaitley regularly procures the delicacies from Amritsar, and sometimes even chefs from the holy city travel to Delhi for important functions at his house. He said it had made him and the food popular in his circles in Delhi as well: “Following my lead, people at times call chefs from here to cook for functions.”