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Sample street snacks from the city’s best vendors, including the Banaras samosa, kathai biscuits and bathi choka…
Get a taste of Varanasi’s diverse street food on this walking tour with a local guide. Although the city doesn’t have its own distinctive cuisine, what makes it special is that it’s been derived from communities that hail from all over India, complete with Arabic and Mughal influences. Sample street snacks from the city’s best vendors, including a Banaras samosa from an eatery that dates back to 1882 and kachori, a typical breakfast made from wheat flour and chickpea paste, served with chutney.
Highlights of the tour include kathai biscuits and bathi choka, a chickpea-infused roasted bread soaked in ghee, often cooked on a cow-dung fire which gives it a smoky flavour. Many dishes are seasonal, such as the poha they make in Varanasi, puffed rice that’s mixed with peas in the winter so it turns green. We usually stop at Deena Chat Bhandar, a little 10-seater restaurant that’s been going for over five decades which serves a huge variety of savoury chaats.
If you’ve got a sweet tooth, there’s plenty of mithai, milk-based treats on offer, as well as creamy malaiyyo, a kind of summery lassi made of saffron-flavoured churned milk. At each stop, I’ll show you what makes this particular vendor unique – it could be their chutney recipe or how they pour their tea – it’s these little insights and intricacies that make each place special. At the end of the tour, we have a sit-down meal where we can sample different dishes and chat about the whole experience.
Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Malcolm, who's travelled extensively in India. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember.
Freephone an expert 01306 744 656