Now you can bite more than you can chew, or so it seems, as Punjab has added the ingredient of choicest Amritsari delicacies to its menu of attractions for spicing up the visit of the travellers to the holy city.
Along with paying your obeisance at the Golden Temple and respect at Jallinawala Bagh among other places, you can savour the “old, traditional, and popular” flavours of Amritsar. You may find it hard to digest, but the Punjab Heritage and Tourism Promotion Board (PHTPB) has prepared for you a scrumptious food trail map for the food lovers by chalking out a list of eateries within Amritsar.
To know what’s cooking on the gourmet front in the holy city and what would tickle your taste buds while admiring the city’s beauty, the “first-ever” Food Trail Map of Amritsar would come to your rescue to explore the authentic Amritsari food.
Right from Guru Ka langar at Golden Temple, to poori-chhole with potato launji, lassi and sooji halwa at Kanha Sweets, special chai at Giani Tea Stall, battered and fried Amritsari fresh water fish at Beera Chicken House and Makkhan Fish, crusty tikkis and golgappas at Brijwasi Chaat, perfectly crisped kulchas with soft centre at Famous Kulchawale, jalebis at Gurdas Ram Jalebian Wale, and not to forget flat gulab jamuns at Sharma Sweets Shop — Amritsar has lot to offer to the connoisseurs of good taste all over.
Rightly called a “food heaven”, Amritsar is offering something for everyone on its platter. “People are coming to Amritsar for religious or sightseeing purposes. Also, it has been as foodie’s pilgrimage…it has lot to offer…Thus, we try to extend the staying duration of the tourists by giving them a reason,” PHTPB’s senior marketing manager Razit Bhandari told The Pioneer.
More to the point, the Board is also, by this way, promoting the culinary tourism by capturing the food buffs.
For the purpose, the Board has shortlisted some famous eateries within the city, with the help of Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna, “which are known traditional places” offering authentic Amritsari food.
“We, along with Chef Vikas Khanna, have come up with a Food Trail Map of Amritsar spotting famous eateries of Amritsar which will help tourist to explore Amritsari food while visiting tourist attractions of the city. Khanna, who belong to Amritsar, has voluntarily given his inputs for the same,” said Bhandari.
“One can find many eateries alongside the famous tourist’s spots in Amritsar and the map would guide the tourist to enjoy the best from Amritsar,” he added. Among many other places, Ahuja’s lassi, famous jalebis at Jalebi Chowk, Amritsari kulcha, Makkhan’s fried fish, Beera’s Chicken tikkas, famous fruit cream at lohgarh Gate have also find mention in the food trail map.
“This is our first effort, and we will keep on revising this…we can further move ahead by dividing various eateries into different areas like those in walled city, main city area, those on the outskirts,” said Bhandari.
He went on to clarify that it is not, in any way, an attempt to popularise or advertise the selected eateries, but “a sincere effort to provide the tourists a real taste of Amritsar. It does not mean that those places that have not find mention in our list are not good enough…it’s just that they have continued the Amritsari food tradition since ages”.