From Regional Flavours to Culinary Stories: Kahaani Celebrates India's Diverse Food Culture

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Following the success of its inaugural edition in February 2026, Kahaani returns with Kahaani: Foods of India, a three-day celebration of the country's extraordinary culinary diversity. Presented by Indophile, an interdisciplinary cultural and creative venture dedicated to celebrating India's heritage, the festival will take place from 13 to 15 November 2026 at Travancore Palace, New Delhi. This edition will turn the spotlight on India's regional cuisines, indigenous ingredients and the stories that have shaped them across generations with support from the Incredible India programme and several state governments, including Meghalaya, Karnataka, Kerala, and Jammu & Kashmir.

Envisioned as more than a conventional food festival, Kahaani: Foods of India will bring together 12 chefs from across the country, exploring the relationship between food, geography, history, community, and cultural memory. From the Himalayan landscape to the depths of the forests, and from coastal communities to tribal wisdom, the festival will offer audiences an opportunity to discover culinary traditions that reflect the richness and plurality of India.

At the heart of Kahaani is its chef-led approach. Each participating chef brings an individual perspective shaped by their region, community, and culinary journey. The line-up features Tresa Francis, representing Syrian Christian cuisine from Kerala; Yimshen Naro Jamir, bringing Naga-Angami flavours; Adonijah Lyngdoh, showcasing Khasi cuisine; Jigmet Mingur, representing Ladakhi food traditions; Dr. Manisha Oraon of Open Farm, highlighting Adivasi cuisine from Jharkhand; and Sheeba Iqbal, exploring the culinary heritage of the homes of Awadh. The festival will also feature three regional Gujarati chefs - Divya, Punita and Sandhya - alongside Yojana Khanduri, known for Himalayan Rasoi; Shubhra Shankhwalkar, representing Konkan cuisine and Goan Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) traditions; Samran Huda, bringing Bengali flavours; Suraj Cariappa, showcasing Coorgi cuisine; and Indian BBQ, presenting a pan-Indian barbecue experience.

Rather than presenting regional cuisines through a broad, representative lens, the festival seeks to foreground the people preserving, reinterpreting, and advancing these traditions. Their stories will offer visitors a deeper understanding of the cultural contexts, techniques, and indigenous ingredients behind the dishes they encounter.

The culinary experience will extend beyond the plate through thoughtfully designed stalls incorporating regional handicrafts, vernacular architecture, and traditional craft practices. A curated bazaar featuring distinctive culinary ingredients and specialities from across India will invite visitors to discover regional flavours beyond the festival. Live demonstrations and panel discussions featuring chefs, restaurateurs, food historians, and other experts will explore the history, science and preservation of India's gastronomic heritage, and a variety of music and dance performances will celebrate the folk traditions of different regions. A dedicated display of heritage cooking vessels and utensils curated by the IGNCA will further illuminate the material culture of Indian kitchens.

Guru Maa, whose vision inspired the creation of Indophile, says, "The beauty of India lies in its extraordinary plurality. Its food, traditions, arts, and ways of life reflect a civilisational richness that deserves to be understood and celebrated in its fullness. Through Kahaani, we seek to bring lesser-known cultural treasures into the light, ensuring that the knowledge and traditions they embody continue to be experienced and carried forward."

Speaking about the vision behind the festival, Aishwarya Jha, co-founder of Indophile, says, "India's culinary heritage is an extraordinary archive of stories, shaped by the land, its people, their journeys, and generations of knowledge. With Kahaani: Foods of India, we want to create a platform where these stories can be discovered and experienced through the chefs who carry them forward. It is about looking beyond familiar dishes to understand the cultures, ingredients and traditions that give them meaning."

Sara Abdullah, co-founder of Indophile, adds, "Food has a remarkable ability to bring people together and open windows into cultures they may not have encountered before. Through Kahaani, we hope to create an experience that brings regional cuisines, crafts and cultural narratives into one space. Our intention is to celebrate the richness of India's diversity while making it accessible to contemporary audiences."

Taking place from 13 to 15 November 2026 at Travancore Palace, New Delhi, Kahaani: Foods of India invites audiences to experience the country's culinary heritage through flavour, craftsmanship and storytelling. Building on the momentum of its inaugural Delhi edition, the festival aims to create a space where regional food traditions and the communities that sustain them can be discovered, celebrated, and carried forward.