We like our stereotypes, don’t we? Say Bengali food, and we think of maachh (fish). Punjabi is all about kukkad (chicken), and South Indian food, about idli dosa. When we think of Bihari cuisine, the first image that pops up is that of litti-chokha.
With regional restaurants opening up in different parts of the city, we now know quite a bit about the cuisine of most parts of the country, but Bihar’s food has largely eluded us. There are very few restaurants that serve the State’s food in the city. The Potbelly is the best known among them, but there are some other eateries, too, such as Bihar Central in Lajpat Nagar, run by a young man called Sudhakar Sharan.
I was introduced to the fine taste of Bihar’s food several years ago at a food festival, where I came across a dish called Champaran mutton. It was one of the most delicious mutton dishes I had ever eaten: the meat had been flavoured with large pods of garlic, which had taken in the flavours of all the spices in the gravy. Since then, I have been a card-holding member of the underground Bihar-food-lovers’ club.
