Chomping past Chandni Chowk

Take in Chandni Chowk's culinary delights

Heading down Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, partly on foot, partly by cycle-rickshaw, one can palpably experience the sacred yet secular way of life that is so typical of India. Interestingly, apart from the assortment of stores selling everything from jewelry to sarees, numerous eateries have also been established along these bylanes that add flavor (literally!) to the old market – and tangibly evoke a sense of history.

From the delectable ‘jalebis’ – wheat batter pretzels steeped in sugar syrup that are popular as ‘zulbias’ in the Middle East and Africa, to the ‘rabri falooda’, a traditional cold beverage made of rose syrup, vermicelli, basil seeds, tapioca pearls and pieces of gelatin with milk or water that can trace its roots to Persia, the walk down Chandni Chowk is a sensory overload.

As with all cultures, India too has its bread specialities – and the ‘paratha’, North India’s greasy, unleavened flatbreads served with a variety of curries and chutneys await in the Parathewali galli (literally, the lane of the parathas!). The Chandni Chowk culinary trail ends at Karim’s, established in 1913, serving up a smorgasbord of Mughal delights from ‘nihari’, a lamb speciality to the ‘khamir’, another special bread.

Image credits: Travis Wise, CC-BY