Imagine being invited to dinner in India in 1897 and being handed a menu that reads like a Paris hotel flex. Historian Neha Vermani uncovered a royal card from the Maharaja of Baroda’s banquet for the Maharaja Scindia of Gwalior — and it featured truffles, mayonnaise, partridge, artichokes, curry with rice and pistachio ice cream. The ultimate plot twist? It now lives in a US archive. Time travel, but plated.
The historic menu and (left) archival note found in the US archivesArchival pics: @nehavermani
Royal food time capsuleGuests tucked into almond custard, truffled chicken soup, braised fish in mayonnaise, Italian-style lamb cutlets and roast partridge with peas. Yes, this was a palace dinner in colonial-era India, not a European cruise buffet.Fusion before it was coolBetween all the French swagger sat Curry de Macédoine de Légumes et Riz (translation: vegetable stew and rice), followed by apples in cream and pistachio ice cream. Royal chefs were blending continents before Instagram could invent the word.
