BENARAS

Benaras The City That Never Sleeps

There is no better city in India for the gourmet to test his taste-buds than Benaras. However, be prepared to eat Satvik Khana... vegetarian food made without onion and garlic.

MOST gourmets find it hard to believe that there is no culture of non-vegetarian food in Benaras. Forget meat, there is not even chicken in the Benarasi's diet, nor fish. They assume that just because India's greatest river flows through the city, there should also be some form of sweet-water, river fish in the Benarasi's menu. Like there is in Calcutta because of the Hooghly. Astonished first-time visitors to the Holy City say, "But how can that be, how can there be no non-vegetarian food in Benaras!" We think they connect Benaras' proximity to Lucknow with the rich, non-vegetarian Mughlai food of that city. But Lucknow is the City of Nawabs, and Benaras... the City of Gods! And if the Gods must be appeased, then you must do so by going on a strict Satvik diet.

For the common man and the pilgrim, Benaras offers an amazing variety of food off the streets. From thandi thandais to luscious lassis, and chat-patta chaats to khaas kachoris, there's a whole new world of food out there. For the sweet-toothed there is a marvellous feast: Malai malpoas, gujiyas, kalakhand, tiranga barfi, lal pera, sandesh, malai pudi, magdal, lavang lata, rabri, rasmalai, nimish...

In Vishwanath Galli, which is the most famous lane in Benaras, jostling for space with the temples and dharamshalas are tiny shops selling the city's best aloo-palak pakoras with hot and sweet chutneys, and the thandaiwallah. These shops are so small and narrow that no customer can step inside. You take your chances standing and eating in the lane, as pilgrims brush past and the occasional bull, which is revered in Varanasi, narrowly misses goring you.

One thing that symbolises the Benarasi's addiction to good things of life, is paan. The joy of eating Benarasi paan is indicative of the joy of moksha... which is spiritual enlightenment.

For full article: CLICK HERE (Archives: April - June 2001)