Mon Mar 31 07:03:32 UTC 2025: **Bengaluru Food Festival Showcases the Hidden Culinary Gems of Murshidabad**

**Bengaluru, March 31, 2025** – A recent food festival at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bengaluru offered a unique culinary journey, showcasing the lesser-known royal cuisine of Murshidabad, West Bengal. Chef Rehman Mujeebur, a culinary arts doctorate and descendant of Lucknow khansamas, curated a menu highlighting the region’s rich history and diverse cultural influences.

Murshidabad, founded in 1702, boasts a unique blend of Jain, Mughal, and Bengali culinary traditions, a reflection of its diverse population which included Jains from Rajasthan, European traders, and the Mughal aristocracy. Chef Mujeebur, who has extensively researched various royal cuisines across India, meticulously recreated these dishes using archival research and consultations with local community elders and khansamas.

The festival featured a range of dishes, highlighting the region’s use of mustard, mustard oil, rose water, and potatoes. Seafood dishes were prominent, given Murshidabad’s riverside location, including a prawn soup with wild mint, mustard-flavored salmon tikka, crab kebabs with sandalwood dust (used to mask seafood odor), and a slow-cooked lobster with pomegranate and spices. The menu also catered to the region’s significant Jain community with several vegetarian options, such as a roasted almond soup and potato cutlets filled with green peas.

A notable highlight was the exploration of the origins of potatoes in biryani. Chef Mujeebur posits that the inclusion of potatoes in biryani, a relatively recent addition to the dish, originated in this region around the time potatoes were introduced to India by the Portuguese.

The festival was lauded as a celebration of India’s culinary diversity, showcasing a hidden gem of Indian gastronomy often overlooked in favor of more well-known regional cuisines. Chef Mujeebur expressed his hope that this event would bring greater awareness and appreciation for the unique flavors of Murshidabad to a wider audience.

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