Divine Delicacies to unravel history behind festive foods

“Every dish on your plate has a story, a history and politics,” says Aparna Jaishankar, host of Divine Delicacies, an upcoming storytelling and menu tasting event at Atta Galatta, Bengaluru on September 6. As a performance storyteller and an educator, her series of performances have revolved around Indian mythology, heritage, history and philosophy.

This initiative, Divine Delicacies, is the result of discussions between Aparna Jaishankar and Lakshmi and Subodh Shankar, the co-founders of Atta Galatta. Taking place for over two years, Aparna’s performances under this banner have always revolved around food, but never in their singularity.

A thought that ignited this spark were the stories behind the food of the divine; food considered sacred or offered as prasadam in temples, during festivals, for deities or to the region specific “under the tree gods”.

Aparna Jaishankar speaking at a previous event
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Special arrangement

Scheduled a week before Ganesh Chaturthi, this edition, will feature food from well-known festival feasts to lesser-known prasadams. “ The hall is decorated as ambience plays a vital role in experiencing the authenticity of our heritage,” says Aparna, adding, “The taste differs between eating off a plate, a banana leaf or a dona patta (areca or palm leaf).”

The venue can accommodate around 15 to 18 people, making the experience exclusive and intimate. The food that is served is neither commercially prepared nor store bought but will be prepared in Lakshmi and Subodh’s personal kitchen.

The heritage of these delicacies will be narrated alongside the prasadam being served during the two-hour session. The menu has been curated keeping in mind both the plausibility of preparation, and the availability of authentic ingredients.

Needless to say, research played a major role in this project. What is the story of the dish? Where can you find it? These are some of the questions that will be answered during the session. Though the dishes at every session might change depending on narrative requirements, what remains constant is the dessert. After all, as Aparna says, “How can one talk about food without the perfect dessert to top it off?”

Divine Delicacies is scheduled to take place on September 6, at 12:30pm at Atta Galatta, Indiranagar. The tickets start at ₹500. For further details visit attagalatta.com