Though founding Mughals Babur and Humayun spent so much time as soldiers in their imperial bastion of Agra, they had little time to establish a culinary culture, the city has more than made up for that lack. Today Agra offers a dazzling variety of culinary adventure which are deeply connected to Central Asian, Persian and regional South Asian cuisines in beautiful ways.
Agra has been designed in such a way that it encourages cultural confluence. Credit for this can be given to king Akbar, a secular king who laid the foundations of the city. Mughal cuisine, marked for its naans, qaliyas, dopiazas, pulaos, kababs would surely have used Agra as a stepping stone for its wider footprint across India. Humayun on his return from exile in Persia is beilved to have introduced dried fruits and nuts in rice, puddings, sweets, and curries. Akbar who also had Rajasthani cooks in his kitchen, tiggered off the fusion of rich spices and curries with Persian dishes to create new recipes such as Murg Massalam. Chicken Mumtazi, named after Mumtaz, the wife of Shahjahan – finds its origin in Agra.
Various communities migrated to and settled in Agra over time, bringing along diverse cultures, especially a delicious motley of cuisines.
Prepare your tastebuds for a fusion of Persian, Turkish, and Indian flavours and textures, amply reflected in its offerings of biryanis, rice pilafs, pasandays, kebabs, and kormas et al.
Fuelled by rich tales that highlight the cultural and historical significance of the food Interactions with their quirky makers the tour offers endless moments of fun and learnings! In the Akbarabadi food trail we cover hyperlocal food joints of Agra, from an early 19th century shop serving Braj cuisines to Muslim hotels that still preserve the age-old family recipes. The food items change depending on the weather.