When PM Manmohan Singh sits down for dinner with his wife Gursharan Kaur on Friday evening, the chefs of the J-K Government’s Hospitality and Protocol Department will, to put it mildly, face an unusual situation. Famous for their mastery of the traditional multi-course Wazwan (Kashmiri) cuisine, primarily comprising spicy meat-based delicacies like Roganjosh, Rista and Kababs, they will instead have to cook “without oil”, make tea “without sugar” and dish out a meal “without spice”.

The mouthwatering Wazwan cuisine, more a ritual than a mere meal, will not find its way to the PM’s table as the menu for his two-day visit will be vegetarian and will be cooked without oil, sugar or even the saving grace of spice. A detailed note on the “dietary preferences” of Singh and his wife sent by Sisir Das, the PM’s tour officer was communicated to the J-K Government. It includes, apart from dietary preferences, other requirements as he stays overnight in an undisclosed house at Cheshma Shahi hills.

Singh will begin his day with the “Marie biscuits” and “bed tea with a little sugar”. Breakfast will consist of “fresh coconut water” followed by “papaya “ and then a bowl of corn flakes or dalia with toast and home-made butter. An “egg white” will mark the only difference between the plates of Singh and his wife. The cooks will, however, face their real test at lunch when the menu of “tawa chapattis” with “a little dal” alongside two “sabzis” (vegetables) with curry means they will be unable to serve a single Kashmiri speciality unless they include ‘‘dum aloo’’ and ‘‘haak’’, the only two Kashmiri vegetarian dishes.

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