4 THE GLOBAL TIMES | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 India Food paradise Part 05 Disc ver Uttar Pradesh Petu ka galiyara Heritage revived One fine day, Petu, a fictional character created by AIS Vasundhara 6, set out to Celebrating the rich and diverse heritage of India, discover and taste the delicacies of Uttar Pradesh. Read on to know the famous food Amity International Schools items that Petu savoured, gorged on and stuffed his tummy with on his food trail indulge in the art, cuisine, tradition, lifestyle, flora and fauna of different states. The Meerut ki Gajak Agra ka Petha Lucknow ki Biryani Allahabad ka Samosa year-long heritage activity as Starting his food cruise with On reaching Agra, Petu was famously By the time Petu found himself in Having satiated his sweet tooth envisaged by Chairperson Meerut, Petu entered the hot and reminded of the Taj Mahal, but his Lucknow, the city of nawabs and with gajak, peda, petha and Dr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan, aims humid conurbation of UP. It took no love was for something else. He kebabs, he was way too hungry! sohan halwa already, Petu now at reviving India’s rich time for Petu to follow the whiff of immediately spotted them at a He asked the locals for a felt an urge to flavour his mouth heritage while bringing it the freshly made gajak being sold crowded corner, shining crystal clear. restaurant that served good food. with something piquant. And his closer to the students . at the corner stall of the road. He They were the popular pethas of Having found one, he glanced at wish was granted as he set eyes GT brings to you ‘Discover could not stop himself and picked Agra. Popeyed, he quickly grabbed a the menu and ordered for a on the amazing, innovative Bharat’, a heritage series that up one piece. The next moment, he chair near the shop and ordered for double ‘dish of the day’. Within varieties of the samosa- the captures the ongoing heritage found himself trying out all the this sweet, served dry as well as juicy. seconds, Petu was served hot masala samosa of Allahabad. celebrations at Amity Schools. variations of the gajak, namely He let the shopkeeper know in steaming Lucknawi Biryani, a These small size, aloo-less It also complements the chocolate gajak, kaju roll gajak, advance to not stop till he gestured popular mughlai cuisine of UP. samosas filled with a special mix elective course on ‘Heritage’, mewa gajak, shalimar gajak, so. He gorged on the angoori petha, Its fresh aroma coupled with the of spices is one of Allahabad’s soon to be launched by CBSE khasta gajak and more. chocolate petha, paan petha, kesar sight of spices, flavour and colour tasty delights. Petu hogged for senior classes. Watching the statue of Mangal elaichi petha, khus petha, santara tickled his taste buds. The soft uncountable pieces of masala State in spotlight: Pandey, outside the 1857 memorial, petha, dry fruit petha, sandwich clear steemed rice, with a perfect samosas and got as many packed Uttar Pradesh. with a gajak in his mouth, Petu petha, kancha petha, mango petha mix of vegetables, heavy dollops for his tummy. ‘What a mouth- Next in ‘Discover Bharat’: truly relished this and coconut petha. of ghee, a pinch of saffron and watering marvel’, Petu thought, Watch out for a skit on the popular sweet UP cardamom used as a garnishing, as he walked ahead. heritage of UP is famous for. made Petu smile at every bite. Ah! Somebody was happy! Meerut 1 Mathura Lucknow 2 5 Agra 3 Jhansi Allahabad 4 Benaras Mathura ke Pede 6 Munching his way up and 7 ahead, Petu reached Mathura. As he placed his foot in the city, the aroma of Jhansi ka fresh and rich ghee enveloped him. He followed Sohan Halwa the aroma that led him to At Jhansi, the Benaras ka Paan the sweet vendor gourmand waited no Having toured different different flavours. Maghai selling pedas. Petu longer to stuff his places without rest or paan and jagannath paan savoured these very soft already half-full regret, Petu decided to are the signature varieties and sweet pedas, one by one. The tummy with little packs conclude his food tour, with of Benaras. soft traditional folk song rasiya of sohan halwa. the royal paan of Benaras. Petu munched as many being played in the background set Upon arriving in Jhansi, Benarasi paan, prepared types he could lay his hands a romantic mood with a description Petu had also visited the with gulkand, grated on. Indeed, this digestive of love tales of the divine couple historic fort of Rani Mahal. The transported to coconut and the flavour of betel leaf left him feeling Lord Krishna and Radha After beauty and rich heritage of the another world. As the last bite dry dates rolled in a betel happy and complete. G T pampering his belly, Petu further fort mesmerized him. However, of the delicious brown sweet leaf is savoured as an marched on to Agra to savour the after relishing the yummy, dry continued to melt in his mouth, alternative to a mouth Contributed by delicacy its known for. fruit rich sohan halwas to his he decided to proceed to freshner. There are a Praachi Ratra, heart’s content, Petu was Allahabad. variety of paan available in AIS Vasundhara 6, VIII B Gajak from Meerut Pede from Mathura Petha from Agra Sohan halwa from Jhansi Biryani from Lucknow Samosa from Allahabad Paan from Benaras.