Eatneraries
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Eatneraries – Gastronomy Tours
Our itineraries, which we’ve playfully dubbed “Eatneraries” (Eat + Itineraries), focus on cuisine as a captivating lens through which to discover and truly understand the diverse destinations within India.
At Gastroutes, we specialise in crafting Eatneraries—bespoke itineraries where culinary exploration enhances the discovery of India’s diverse destinations. Unlike standard tours, our Eatneraries revolve around immersive gastronomy experiences, each meticulously planned to showcase unique food traditions. While incorporating essential leisure travel elements like sightseeing, our tours focus on food. From home-cooked meals to street food adventures and fine-dining experiences, we tailor each culinary encounter to align with the tour’s theme.
We pride ourselves on creating tailor-made tours, ensuring each guest experiences something unique. Below are a few examples from our Eatneraries, which may inspire your guests and help them refine their preferences:
Given the incredible diversity of regional gastronomy across India, we dive deep into extensive research to plan our tours.
Meals are pivotal, carefully curated to offer exciting experiences like street food walks or home-cooking sessions revealing cherished family recipes. Even simple lunches and dinners are transformed into opportunities to savor handpicked eateries known for their unique dishes. We curate menus to highlight each restaurant’s specialty, ensuring our guests don't miss the best each destination has to offer.
Eatneraries – Gastronomy tours across India
Trail of Biryani
Biryani is one foreign dish that came to India with invaders and evolved here, intricately positioning itself in the country as if it had always belonged.
Each region boasts its own unique version of Biryani. While Lucknow and Hyderabad famously compete for the top spot, many other places have also perfected the art, each offering a distinct and flavorful experience. It’s fascinating to see how a single dish can have so many variations, all widely embraced across India.
On this tour, we will explore many of these variations, uncovering the nuances in their cooking methods, ingredients, and histories.
Coasts, Mountains, Plateaus, Plains and Deserts
India is a country with diverse landscapes, including coasts, mountains, valleys, plateaus, plains, and deserts. Each region's unique topography and geography contribute to its distinctive cuisine. The contrast between these regional cuisines is so significant that the term "Indian Cuisine" is a misnomer. The cuisine of each region is influenced by its geographical location and its regional culture and society.
This tour explores India, appreciating its regional cuisines and understanding the geographical and climatic influences on them. Just as these conditions influence architecture and lifestyle, they also significantly impact food, ingredients, cooking styles, and eating habits. We will travel through various parts of India to decode these influences, experiencing each land type and gaining an overview of the geographical and climatic factors that shape the country's food culture.
Badshahs, Maharajas & the Nawabs
India's culinary landscape reflects centuries of diverse influences, shaped by invaders who adapted their cuisines to local ingredients and tastes. Pre-1947 India was a tapestry of royal states, each with its unique culinary identity. Muslim and Hindu rulers alike contributed to this diversity, influenced by regional and religious factors.
This tour celebrates the cuisines and culinary histories of India's royalty. While the Mughal Empire significantly shaped Mughlai cuisine, Persian Nawabs and Hindu Maharajas of smaller independent states also left lasting marks on India's culinary heritage.
Join us on this enlightening tour to discover India through its royal cuisine.
Eat, Pray & Love in India
While the title might bring to mind the Julia Roberts’ film, its inspiration comes from the movie's concept. In "Eat Pray Love," the character Liz, portrayed by Julia Roberts, travels to India and stays at an ashram. During her stay, she explores the power of prayer and works on humbling herself.
Our tour shares a similar theme, focusing on visiting significant religious and spiritual sites, places renowned for inspiring love stories, and, of course, the soul-satisfying food that complements these experiences.
This journey includes community meals at Sikh and Hindu temples, dining experiences at Sufi shrines, and participating in meal distribution to mourners following the Shia mourning ritual of Muharram. We also explore the tradition of death feasts and meals shared by Hindu widows. Additionally, the tour features a visit to Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, complete with a special royal dining experience overlooking this magnificent monument of love.
Best of Gordon Ramsay
Many of us enjoy watching Chef Gordon Ramsay on television for his perfectionism and, at times, fiery behavior in the kitchen. As a restaurateur, he has earned sixteen Michelin stars and is regarded as one of the most influential chefs in the United Kingdom.
In 2010, Ramsay’s television show, ‘Great Escape,’ was a popular program on Channel Four, which featured his travels to India. (external ref link: Watch on YouTube)
Ramsay developed a fascination with Indian cuisine as a child, particularly curry dishes, influenced by his mother’s interest and his family’s Indian landlord. His dream of exploring Indian food came to fruition during his career as a chef with the first three episodes of the ‘Great Escapes’ TV series: Mangala Express, North-East India, and Kerala.
Our tour mirrors Ramsay's journey, covering the locations he visited and delving deeper into India to explore its food history. To truly understand India’s food and culinary traditions, it's essential to appreciate its history, heritage, and culture.
Following Rick Stein in India
Rick Stein (real name is Christopher Richard Stein), is a renowned English chef, restaurateur, and TV presenter. He is also the author of several best-selling cookery books.
Rick's six-part BBC series on India was a resounding success. (external ref link: Watch on BBC) In the show, he journeyed across the country to immerse himself in, learn about, and experiment with various Indian dishes.
Our tour will retrace Rick Stein's culinary journey through India. At each destination, we will sample the dishes he featured on his BBC show, as well as explore additional local delicacies to fully experience the flavors of the region.
