Culinary Tour – India: Itinerary
The cuisine of India is characterized by its use of locally available resources, including spices and vegetables grown across India and in some parts of India for the widespread practice of vegetarianism across its society. Each family of Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. As a consequence, it varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically diverse Indian subcontinent.
The character of cuisine in India is essentially regional; reasons for this must be found in the sheer size of the country, which forced every area to develop a style of cooking of its own. In times gone by transportation was a problem, and this meant that each area had to come up with a style of food, which made do with the locally available materials. As a result, not only dishes, but flavors, colors, methods of cooking, down to even the style of cutting the vegetables prior to be cooked changes as often as the landscape does.
What has helped along this diversity is the amazing number of religions and the sects and sub-sects within them; each of them often has strict dietary codes. For example, Hindu Brahmins may not eat onions, ginger and garlic, meat that meant that a special cusine came up around that bias and so on. Whereas Christians and Muslims favors meat eating.
The most striking contrast in eating habits shows up between the meat-and-bread eating northern regions and the pulse-and-rice southern regions
Day 01: Arrive Delhi
Arrive at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport by flight.
Delhi – the capital of India – The city consists of two parts – Old & New Delhi. Old Delhi was the capital of Muslim India between 17th and 19th century and has many mosques, monuments and forts. New Delhi, the imperial city was created by the British as the capital of India. In 1911, Edwin Lutyens, the most renowned English architect of the day, was chosen to design New Delhi which flaunts a surprising number of impressive monuments related to its conquests by the Mughals, Turks, Persians and ultimately the British.
Meet & Assist: you will be met by dnata airport representative in the arrival area of the airport after you clear all immigration and customs formalities. Special welcome waits for you at the airport with nice garlands of marigold flowers. You will be transferred to your hotel.
Check-in at your hotel for 2 nights.
Overnight at Hotel.
Day 02: In Delhi
Morning tour of Old Delhi , first monument you will visit is the Jama Masjid which is the black and white onion dome and minarets & is the most elegant mosque in India. Post visit proceed for Heritage walk of Old Delhi which lasts for 3 Hrs.
Explore and learn about the origins of Old Delhi. Walking through the streets of Old Delhi, you will visit havelis, the Paranthe Wali Gali (a 200 year old food street) and Khari Bhaoli (Asia’s largest spice market), as well as enjoy a rickshaw ride.
Walk through Chhippiwada, earlier the area where fabric printers lived, but now known for several old temples and some remarkable Havelis, we retrace our steps and walk through the Fireworks Market before entering Dareeba Kalan, the market of the jewellers Dareeba is also the place where you can shop for perfumes at Gulab Singh the famous Gandhees or perfumers of Dareeba.
From Dareeba Kalan we turn left into Dareeba Khurd (Kinari Bazaar), the market of the lace makers and much else besides, Within Kinari Bazar is Hazari Mal the famous Khurchan and Rabri Sellers of Khurja and some distance ahead is the heritage enclave known as Nau Ghara, inhabited by several families of Shwetambar Jains. A Nau Ghara is also the site of a beautifully preserved late 19th century temple. The walk concludes with a visit to Gali Paratheywaali with shops that have been serving Paratha lovers from early 1870s. Beyond Gali Parathey Waali is Kunwarjis Namken and then Chandni Chowk, But that is another walk. We conclude with a short introduction to Chandni Chowk.
Later in the afternoon visit Bangla Sahib Gurudwara at Sikh Temple. Lunch at Gurudwara Langer
The Gurudwara serves delicious lunch to public. Around 10,000 visitors comes everyday to Gurudwara. Lunch ( Langar in local language) is generally served from 9:00 am onwards. The experience of savoring delicious langar food in the land of God, with devotional trance music in the background, is certainly a memory that one will cherish forever. The langar serves chapattis, daal, subzi, and kheer at a sit-down meal held in regular intervals.
Dinner at Hotel.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 03: In Delhi
Morning post breakfast city tour of New Delhi.
You will drive past President’s Palace and India Gate (42m high), built to commemorate the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in the 1st world war. Later visit Humayun’s Tomb.
Lunch at restaurant at Pandara Road.
Post Lunch, visit Qutub Minar, the highest Sandstone minaret in the world (73 meters). Today, you will have the chance to taste the street food of Delhi. Indians love street food, which they refer to as small plates of savory snacks called chat. It’s really worth trying some just to taste the different flavors and spices of India.
Evening dinner with an Indian family along with cooking demonstration.
(Will begin at approx.. 1700 Hrs with visit to market to buy vegetable, spices & other food items. Return to home where you will participate in cooking under guidance of Indian family members)
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 04: Delhi-Agra (approx. 210 Kms. / 4 Hrs. Drive)
Morning transfer to railway station to board train for Agra. ( Gatiman Express)
On arrival in Agra check in at the hotel
Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon visit Taj Mahal & Agra fort.
With its incredible lacy white grandeur the Taj Mahal is perhaps the most perfect architectural monument in the world. To the poet Tagore it was a tear on the face of eternity’. In memory of his wife the great Mughal emperor Shah Jehan constructed this most extravagant and incomparable monument built for love. Amazingly graceful from any angle, it is the close up detail, which is really astounding.
Agra Fort – situated two kilometres towards west of the Taj Mahal on the banks of the river Yamuna. It was built by the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar, and added to by his son Jahangir and grandson Shahjahan. Agra Fort is an imposing structure with walls of red sandstone, almost two miles long and contains palaces, audience halls and mosques built by all the three emperors. The fort presents a good sampling of Islamic and Hindu architectural styles.
Dinner organized at Hotel.
Overnight in the hotel.
Day 05: Agra-Jaipur (approx. 240 Kms. / 4-5 Hrs. Drive)
Post breakfast drive to Jaipur. On the way visit Fatehpur Sikri. It was a beautiful and the deserted medieval city built by Akbar the Great in the 16th century to serve as the capital of his vast empire. The Mughals later abandoned this city for lack of Water.
Lunch organized at Hotel in Bharatpur. Prior to Lunch will also provi
de a short cooking demo by hotel chef.
Post Lunch drive to Jaipur.
Maharaja Jai Singh II built Jaipur in the 18th century. It is a planned city built with ancient Hindu rules as the colonial capital of a richly colorful state. The whole city was painted pink to welcome the visit of Prince Albert in 1853.
In the evening, enjoy dinner at local restaurant with cultural show & visit to Turban museum.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 06: In Jaipur
The day begins with a visit to the Amber fort, the former seat of the Rajput rulers of Jaipur. Ascending the fortress seated on elephants, wander around the beautiful palaces and visit the Shiladevi temple (which continues to be the private temple of the Royal family) with its exquisite marble carvings and silver door.
Rajasthan Thali Lunch at a local restaurant.
Afternoon city tour , make a photo stop at the Palace of Winds (Hawa Mahal) & City Palace.
Hawa Mahal – The ornamental facade of this “Palace of Winds” is a prominent landmark in Jaipur. It is a five-storey structure of sandstone plastered pink encrusted with fine trelliswork and elaborate balconies. The palace has 953 niches and windows. Built in 1799 by Pratap Singh, the Mahal was a royal grandstand for the palace women.
City Palace- A delightful blend of Mughal and traditional Rajasthani architecture, the City Palace sprawls over one-seventh of the area in the walled city. It houses the Chandra Mahal, Shri Govind Dev Temple and the City Palace Museum.
Evening Dinner at Chokhi Dhani with cultural show.
Overnight in the Hotel.
Day 07: Jaipur-Pushkar
Morning drive to Pushkar.
Pushkar is a small town sacred to the Hindus and now a tourist attraction for its annual camel fair, largest in the world.. Pushkar is one of the traditional “once in a lifetime” places of pilgrimage. Epics, religious texts, coins and inscriptions bear evidence to the sanctity of Pushkar. Over the centuries it grew into a temple town, and today there are as many as 400 temples in Pushkar.
On the first full moon after Diwali- called “Kartik Purnima” the annual cattle fair is held at Pushkar. This is by far the largest cattle fair of Rajasthan. Villagers from every tribe and corner of Rajasthan converge here to participate in one way or other. For the first 2 days races of various kinds are held between different cattle. This is the villager’s way of showing off his cattle Thereafter the cattle are sold. Along with the cattle bazaar, villagers also set up handicraft shops.
These have become more popular in the past 15 years due to the fact that many foreigners are attracted to this fair. Red’s , orange’s, pink’s blacks – colors of all sorts come together here in gay abandon. On the night of the full moon, the main bathing rituals take place at the Pushkar Lake, followed by singing of ballads through the night by campfire
On arrival transfer and check in to Hotel
Afternoon visit the Ghats & Temples.
Dinner & Overnight at Hotel.
Day 08: Pushkar -Udaipur
Drive to Udaipur enroute visiting Chittorgarh.
There is no place in Rajasthan with a history more romantic than that of Chittorgarh, the centre of Rajput resistance against Mughal rule. It was here that Sisodia Rajput warriors, on many occasions, gave their lives, preferring death to dishonour and surrender. The city was sacked at least three times before it was finally abandoned & the capital moved to Udaipur. The glory of Chittorgarh is the Tower of Victory – Jaya Stambha erected by Rana Kumbha to commemorate his victory over Mohammed Khilji of Malwa in 1440. Its nine stories are covered with sculptures of Hindu divinities.
Post Lunch Continue to Udaipur.
The city of Udaipur or the city of sunrise’ combines real beauty with a picturesque association of a great and glorious past. The legendary Ranas or kings of this state traced their ancestry back to the sun! It stands in a valley, amidst green hills on the banks of the wide, steel blue lake Pichola and is regarded as the most romantic spot in India. On little islands in the lake, from the water’s edge, rise marble palaces of pure white that glisten like fairy castles. Crowning the ridge, in which the city clusters, along the shore of the lake, stands the massive palace of the Maharana.
On arrival check in at Hotel.
Dinner & overnight at hotel.
Day 09: In Udaipur
Morning city tour of Udaipur.
Visit the City Palace, once the home of Mewar’s rulers, is today a museum. It consists of several flawlessly integrated palaces, which overlook the clear blue of Lake Pichola. Visit Sahelion-ki-Bari (Garden of the Maids of Honor) the scene of royal parties for centuries. Drive around Fateh Sagar Lake excavated in the late 17th century by Maharaja Jai Singh and past the Kala Mandir (Puppet Museum) and the Cenotaph of Maharana Pratap. And of course last but not the last – the Jagdish temple.
Evening enjoy boat ride at Lake Pichola.
Cooking demonstration with Indian family followed by Dinner. ( Begin with visiting market to buy vegetable, spices & other food items. Return to home where you will participate in cooking under guidance of Indian family members)
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 10: Udaipur-Mumbai
After early breakfast, transfer to the airport to connect morning flight to Mumbai. On arrival connect another flight to Cochin.
On arrival check in at the hotel.
The area occupied by Mumbai three hundred years ago was 7 islands inhabited by Koli fisherman and their families. With land reclamation the islands were connected, so that now Bombay occupies a thin isthmus. The British acquired these marshy islands for a pittance. Mumba Devi or Mumbai was part of Catherine of Braganza’s marriage dowry when she married Charles II in 1661. Four years later, the British took possession of the remaining islands and neighboring mainland area and in 1668 the East India Company leased the whole area for 10 pounds per year.
Balance day at leisure.
Dinner & Overnight in the hotel.
Day 11: In Mumbai
Morning excursion to Elephanta caves.
An hour’s boat ride from the Gateway, the tranquil forested island of Elephanta is one of the most atmospheric places in Bombay. Populated only by a small fishing community it makes a wonderful contrast to the seething claustrophobia of the city, even when crowded with day-trippers at weekends. Originally known as Gharapuri, the island was renamed in the sixteenth century by the Portuguese in honor of the carved elephant they found at the port. Its chief attraction is the unique cave temple whose massive Trimurti Shiva sculpture is a fine example of Hindu architecture.
The cave temples were excavated between the 5th and 8th centuries. The island is just an hour away by motor launch and the caves are reached by a stairway up the hillside from the ferry landing.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Afternoon city tour.
Start with a stop at the Gateway of India –an Indo – Sarcenic style of architecture (1927), designed by George Wittet to commemorate the visit of George V and Queen Mary in 1911, drive, past the Victoria Terminus the most remarkable example of Victorian Gothic architecture in India opened during Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Year, Marine Drive and visit the Hanging Gardens so named since they are located on top of a series of tanks that supply water to Bombay.
Also visit the Jain Temple built of marble and dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara. Much of the decoration depicts the lives of the Tirthankara. And last but not the least; make a brief photo stop at “Dhobi Ghat” the Indian laundry system. Later visit Prince of Wales Museum. A magnificent, but somewhat strange structure, built in a confluence of Gothic and Moorish styles, and crowned by a sparkling white dome..
Dinner in hotel.
Overnight at hotel.
Day 12: Leave Mumbai
In time transfer to the International Airport to connect flight to onward destination after having the best Culinary Tour – India
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Cost includes-
11 nights’ accommodation on twin share at the hotels mentioned above OR similar.
All meals viz. breakfast / lunch & Dinner included ( Lunches enroute or during sightseeing at affordable restaurants)
Dinners as mentioned in the programme.
Transport using an air-conditioned CAR for the entire tour as per the itinerary.
Entrance fee to monuments.
Services of English speaking local guide during sightseeing as per programme.
Train fare in a/c chair car for Delhi – Agra on gateman Express.
Visit to Amber fort in Jaipur.
Boat ride on Lake Pichola by public boat.
All presently applicable taxes.
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