Around India\'s First Table: Dining and Entertaining at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

Contents: Foreword The Hon'ble President of India. Preface/Omita Paul. 1. The State Banquet. 2. Dining with the Viceroy. 3. War and Independence. 4. Dining with the President. 5. A National Cuisine. Bibliography. Acknowledgements. Index.

This volume traces the history of dining and entertaining at Rashtrapati Bhavan from the days when the British viceroys served French food in the stately dining room, through the early years of the republic, and the gradual replacement from Western to Indian cuisine. The reader is taken behind the scenes to follow the careful preparations which make India's first table a site for successful gastronomic diplomacy.