Akbar’s royal kitchen could prepare 100 dishes in an hour, yet the Mughal emperor began his meal with something surprisingly ordinary; the 16th-century account names the humble food still found on Indian tables today
The contrast is striking. Akbar’s kitchen was anything but modest. The Ain-i-Akbari describes cooks preparing dishes using grains, greens, meats, sweet and spicy ingredients, with food arriving in vessels made of gold, silver, stone and earthenware.Yet the emperor’s first taste was recorded as milk or curd.The account also gives a glimpse into how carefully food…
