Top News

President neglecting kitchen at Rashtrapati Bhavan, complain foodies

National Herald | May 8, 2026 3:41 PM CST

During the then US President Barack Obama’s state visit to India, a lunch hosted at Hyderabad House with PM Modi in attendance did serve non-vegetarian dishes. For starters, the ‘perfectly cooked ‘Shrimp Karavalli’, a delicacy from coastal Karnataka and ‘Murg Neeza Kebab’, part of the Mughlai cuisine were showcased. Non-vegetarians also had the Bengali mustard fish preparation described as ‘Mahi Sarson’ and ‘Bhuna Gosht Boti’ — tender pieces of lamb cooked in tomato and onion masala.

At the banquet hosted by Rashtrapati Bhavan this week for the visiting Vietnamese President To Lam the menu was entirely vegetarian. The spread included Bharwan Vilayti Gobi (stuffed broccoli in green tomato sauce), Gajar Matar Naal Wadiyan (carrots and peas stir-fried with urad dal dumplings), Bhatinde Waale Aloo (baby potatoes with freshly pounded herbs and mango powder), Hisar Bajra Khichdi (porridge of millets, lentils and vegetables), Basmati rice with peas and Dal Amritsari. Was there no South Indian dish that could be served, wondered a few.

President visit row escalates: Mamata targets Modi, Centre seeks report from Bengal

“What an utterly unimaginative menu - the worst of Indian vegetarian food. And to serve this to the President of a country which is incapable of serving even one tasteless meal, even in the simplest home. Shame,” exclaimed chef, food writer and columnist Rajyasree Sen based in New Delhi. Former diplomat Ambassador K.C. Singh endorsed her sentiment. “Absolutely agree. It’s not even refined Punjabi food. This is reducing Rashtrapati Bhawan to a Dhaba. And how can vegetarianism be inflicted on foreign dignitaries when even India eats meat. Sure, have visitors taste Indian food. But be selective & adaptive,” he tweeted.

There were others who defended the menu. President Droupadi Murmu is a member of Brahma Kumaris, who have several dietary restrictions, they reasoned. If she chooses to have stuffed broccoli and baby potatoes served to a foreign dignitary, it is her prerogative. People were quick to question such reasoning though. When President Murmu or PM Modi go abroad, the hosts are certainly alerted about their food preferences and which are possibly honoured. So, why shouldn’t the Rashtrapati Bhavan serve non-vegetarian delicacies as was done for President Obama?

While poultry and pork are the staple in Vietnam, the Vietnamese President, argued some, may be a vegetarian; after all he is a Buddhist and began the state visit from Bodh Gaya. However, Vietnamese cuisine being based headily on meat and seafood, there is little evidence that the visiting President is a vegetarian. Serving vegetarian food was India’s diplomatic choice.

It was explained by sources that President Murmu does not partake onions and garlic; that being a devotee of the Brahma Kumaris she eats only ‘satvic’ (pure, light and vegetarian) food since 2006. At least one hawk eye however spotted ‘mushrooms’ in the menu and flagged it as ‘tamasic’ (heavy, impure, living beings) food, which PM Modi is said to have regularly. The third kind of food, Rajasic (meat, fish) was of course missing.

The menu triggered both humour and sarcasm. “Campaign days: Non-veg meal is not only fine but also to be flaunted. Even beef is fine. Normal days: Strictly veg while hosting heads of state in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Don't really get how people fall for such brazen frauds,” tweeted Urvish Kothari, author and commentator from Gujarat. Journalist and founder of Newslaundry Abhinandan Sekhri exclaimed, “In case you have always wondered why the BJP/Sangh types are always so angry & hateful and that is all that they spread, imagine if this was your idea of - best food... would you be a happy person?”

Non-vegetarians were upset and pointed out that nearly 80 per cent of the population consume meat and fish. India, they pointed out, possesses one of the richest seafood and meat traditions on the planet. Bengali fish culture, Kashmiri Wazwan, Kerala beef fry, Nagaland smoked pork, Mughlai cuisine, Goan seafood, Lucknowi kebabs, the choice was endless, they pointed out.

The consensus was that the menu was pedestrian and unimaginative. Why couldn’t food from every corner of India, appetisers from the North-East, a dish from the South and another from the West and so on could be served? President Murmu needs to pay more attention to the kitchen, seemed the prevailing sentiment.