Celebrating India's Living Heritage

27 November – 31 December · Banaras, India

Celebrating India's Living Heritage
Banaras Ghats Sunset

Cuisines of Banaras

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The Culinary Soul of Kashi

Varanasi is renowned for its traditional vegetarian cuisine, which forms the backbone of its culinary offerings. The city's cuisine showcases a delightful assortment of dishes prepared using locally sourced ingredients. From fragrant spices to fresh vegetables and lentils, every dish exudes the authentic flavors of North Indian cuisine. Aromatic spices such as cumin, coriander, cardamom, and cinnamon are expertly combined to create rich and flavorful curries. The use of ghee (clarified butter) adds a heavenly touch to the preparations, lending them a distinct and indulgent taste.

Varanasi's flavors are not just about the ingredients and techniques; they are deeply intertwined with the city's cultural and religious rituals. The city's food is prepared with love and devotion, often as offerings to deities during religious ceremonies and festivals. The traditional thali, a comprehensive meal that represents a harmonious balance of flavors, is served during auspicious occasions. The flavors of Varanasi are a gateway to the city's soul, a journey into its rich cultural heritage and traditions. From the tantalizing street food to the aromatic vegetarian cuisine and the wide range of sweet delicacies, Varanasi offers an unforgettable culinary experience.

Varanasi Street Food Atmosphere

12 Flavours of Kashi

Hing Kachori & Chane ki Sabzi

Hing Kachori & Chane ki Sabzi

Made with a mix of coarse whole wheat flour and urad daal flour, the dough is stuffed with a richly spiced filling of hing and ground urad daal, then deep-fried to golden perfection in pure ghee — a Banarasi morning ritual.

Kachori‑Sabzi

Kachori‑Sabzi

The traditional breakfast of the ancient city of Kashi — piping hot puri sabzi, kachori, and droolworthy jalebi. The streets of Varanasi come alive each morning with the irresistible aroma of fresh kachoris sizzling in ghee.

Tamatar Chat

Tamatar Chat

Tomatoes — the centerpiece of this dish — are served with cooked potatoes, sweet-and-sour chutneys, curd, and coriander on top. A beloved street food entirely unique to Banaras, found nowhere else in quite the same form.

Malaiyyo

Malaiyyo

Perhaps Banaras' most iconic sweet — an ethereal, cloud-like frothy dessert made only during winter mornings using dew-kissed milk, saffron, and sugar. This fleeting seasonal luxury is unique to Kashi and cannot be replicated elsewhere.

Baati Chokha

Baati Chokha

Virtually ubiquitous across restaurants and street stalls of Varanasi — wheat flour balls baked over coal fires are served alongside smoky mashed vegetables. A rustic, soul-warming meal that speaks the language of the land.

Lassi

Lassi

A refreshing drink consumed at any time of the day, Varanasi's lassi is served in traditional clay kulhads. Made with thick yoghurt, milk, and a touch of saffron — a cooling antidote to the city's warm afternoons along the Ganga.

Launglata

Launglata

A deep-fried pastry filled with a rich and aromatic stuffing made from khoya, nuts, and exotic spices, sealed with a clove (laung). Its warm, spiced sweetness is a hallmark of Banarasi festive celebrations and weddings.

Thandai

Thandai

Without trying Thandai, a trip to Banaras would be incomplete. This milk-based beverage is enriched with dry fruits, saffron, rose petals, and exotic spices — a drink that embodies the festive spirit of the eternal city.

The Banarasi Paan

The Banarasi Paan

Freshly prepared before your eyes, the Banarasi paan is a symbol of hospitality. The unique betel leaves are layered with sweet fillings, silver leaf, and secret spices — a fragrant, ceremonial finale to every great Banarasi meal.

Chooda Matar

Chooda Matar

Poha in its Banarasi avatar — flattened rice, green peas, and numerous spices including the quintessential hing tempering come together into a light, wholesome morning dish that fills the lanes of Kashi with its comforting aroma.

Dahi Vada

Dahi Vada

One of the most reviving foods to enjoy while exploring the city — with its perfectly balanced sweet and sour flavour, topped with chutneys, sev, and spices. Comfort food elevated to an art form along the Ghats of Varanasi.

Laal Peda

Laal Peda

A traditional Indian sweet made from milk solids (khoya), sugar, and pure ghee. Laal peda gets its signature reddish-brown color from slow cooking — a process that concentrates flavour into every bite of this beloved Banarasi mithai.