“MY HAIR GONE GREY, MY APPETITE NOT LOST YET” AURANGZEB ALAMGEER,
THE GREAT EMPEROR SIMPLY YEARNS FOR SULAIMAN BAWARCHI’S FOOD

ANECDOTES OF DAILY LIFE

The Mughal way of life dazzled the world in their lifetime and still dazzle with the remnants of their culture. Mughal cuisine is a household word all over the world. It is interesting to come across cookbooks of Mughal times, mostly 18th and 19th century works. One reads the recipes and one can try to imitate them, but without resource of original ingredients of cooking, the real old taste cannot be in anyway created in these times. Still Mughal food surrounds us even today.

A very amusing letter comes to us in form of RUQAT ALAMGEERI. A manuscript which contains many of his letters to others. One letter is addressed to his son and he twinges on his memory in remembering that the cook of his son, namely Sulaiman Bawarch could cook Khichri Biryani in such a way that the taste does not go away. He says that to eat the same in the Monsoon season is the highlight of taste. He wanted forcefully to steal the cook from his son, but his fatherly love for his child stopped him from doing so. He talks of his own cook Islam Khan who could not do justice to same. He requests his son to send some pupils of Sulaiman Bawarchi so that they can cook Khichri Biryani for him at his palace.

These kind of anecdotes make us realize and see the great Mughal King in flesh and blood, they were just like us, nothing more. We cannot forget them, for they are us today.