Indian Dining at the First Table - Dining at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

During the 1950s and 60s, while India was finding her place in the world, the Rashtrapati Bhavan was visited by numerous foreign heads of state. The Soviet Union's premier and the first secretary of the Communist party, Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev, made the first official Russian visit to India in 1955 and Zhou En-lai the Chinese premier paid a visit in 1960. Queen Elizabeth II and the heads of newly independent African countries Zaire, Zambia and Tanzania came to celebrate India's Independence on different Republic Days. President Prasad was reportedly gloomy about the prospect of atheist communists eating meat and drinking alcohol in the guest suite where a special room, supplied with alcoholic beverages, had been set up for the Russians." The staff, however, enjoyed these visits.  
 
Russian Delegation to India
"Those days were fun, reminisced Abdul Majeed, a retired butler who worked at the house in the early years of the presidency. 'All heads of states used to stay here in [the] Dwarka suite and were served all the meals by us. 12 The Russian delegation did their best not to offend Indian sensibilities by avoiding the drinks room but they were apparently hearty eaters and in between formal meals would send up for extras such as omelettes and sandwiches. While the tips were marvelous, the butlers derived most of their satisfaction from the pride they took in working for the representative of their newly independent nation. 

​A Taste of India: Recipes Inspired by the Raj
The Indian state gradually grew into and made its own the traditions and protocol that it had inherited from the Raj. In the early days the portraits of past viceroys still hung on the walls of the banquet hall. Gradually these were moved out of the room and replaced by paintings of India's former presidents. At first, the food served at the Rashtrapati Bhavan continued to be Anglicised-French in style, as it had been during the tenure of the viceroy. French food was vegetables mashed and then shaped to look like chops and fried. The main course was caneton à la diable, peas with cauliflower and roast potatoes. The duck in a piquant mustard and cayenne sauce was a touch of French sophistication.  
 
Indian Recipes with a British Twist
The alternative vegetarian main course was the only part of the meal which gave away the fact that the dinner was taking place in India. Indrani was served aloo dum, cauliflower curry, raita, papad and chutney. The red rose indicating her vegetarian preferences was an Indian innovation. During the British period, the vegetarian and other food preferences of the guests were indicated to the butlers by ribbons tied to the backs of the chairs. Just as both the vegetarian and non- vegetarian meal began with a very British soup, they both ended with the same very British dessert, pommes Chantilly or stewed apples decorated with swirls of cream.
 
Resource: “Around India's First Table : Dining and Entertaining at the Rashtrapati Bhavan”

Article Published In: Etiquipedia.blogspot.com