The staple evening meal of many Gujaratis, the simple khichdi, recently made headlines when an Indian chef set a world record at the World Food India Meet in New Delhi on Saturday, and also due to rumors of it being declared India's national dish.
Eat, But the rice-dal mixture is an informal Gujarati dinner for many families, rich or poor. Partly due to its easily digestible quality, khichdi has ruled the kitchen due to its ease of preparation and the flexibility of mixing and matching ingredients.
The dish also gave its name to a TV show and a film
spinoff with Gujarati characters. Professor Ramji Savalia, director of BJ
Institute of Learning and Research, said Gujarati thali presents an image of the abundance
and diversity of local food. Still, it mostly dates back to the post-Mughal
period. "The only food item that has remained unchanged for almost 600
years is khichdi, which was even regularly eaten by Sultan Ahmed Shah I, the
founder of Ahmedabad," Savalia said.
"Commissariat records show that khichdi was also
offered to Mughal emperor Jahangir during his visit to Khambhat in the early
17th century." From medieval times to the present day, khichdi had a very
different purpose – to feed the poor.
Temples run by the Swaminarayan sect, especially BAPS,
are known to offer khichdi prasad to their devotees. Similarly, the temples of Jalaram Bapa also offer it every Thursday. Every Sunday, many devotees queue up
at ISKCON temples to get a helping of Khichdi.
But over the years, there has been a flood of options
when it comes to khichdi. Starting from Swaminarayan Khichdi, famous for its
distinctive taste, the restaurants offer many regional versions.