BRICS 2026: What Did the World Leaders Eat in Delhi?

AI Image

 When world leaders meet, we usually talk about diplomacy, trade, geopolitics and agreements. But there is another kind of diplomacy that happens quietly—around the dining table.

At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, held on September 12–13, 2026, India did not just welcome international leaders and delegates with meetings and ceremonies. It also introduced them to something that comes very naturally to us Indians: food as a celebration of culture.

And what a spread it was! From Kashmiri walnuts and Lucknowi galouti kebabs to ragi dosa, bajra upma, Hyderabadi biryani, paneer lababdar and shahtoot phirni, the menus created for the BRICS guests attempted to tell the story of India through its food.

Food as culinary diplomacy

India is not a country with one cuisine. Our food changes every few hundred kilometres—sometimes even every few streets. The spices, grains, cooking techniques and ingredients tell stories of geography, climate, history and community. That diversity became the central idea behind several BRICS menus.

Delhi's luxury hotels prepared special menus for the visiting delegations, combining traditional Indian dishes with contemporary presentation and some international flavours. The idea was not simply to feed the guests but to give them a taste of India's enormous culinary heritage.

And there was a particularly Indian ingredient quietly taking centre stage: Millets.

Millets make a grand appearance.

India has been promoting millets—or Shri Anna—for their nutritional value, versatility and deep connection with traditional Indian agriculture.

At the BRICS events, millets appeared in several forms.

Breakfast options reportedly included ragi dosa, bajra upma and millet pongal. Millet-based preparations were also incorporated into other meals and snacks.

It is rather wonderful when you think about it.

The humble bajra and ragi that have been part of Indian kitchens for generations were being presented to an international audience at one of the world's important diplomatic gatherings.

Sometimes the future is hiding in the food our grandmothers already knew.

What was on the BRICS gala dinner menu?

The gala dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam was particularly interesting.

It was a vegetarian Indian menu, designed to showcase regional flavours.

The starters included:

• Khandvi Mille – a creative take on the Gujarati khandvi

• Khumb Galouti – a mushroom-based interpretation of the famous galouti kebab

The main course included dishes such as:

• Paneer Lababdar

• Gucchi Marmik

• Millet Pulao

And for dessert came:

Shahtoot Phirni—a traditional rice-and-milk dessert given a special touch with mulberry.

Now, as a food lover, I particularly like the thought behind this menu. It wasn't trying to make Indian food look foreign. Instead, familiar Indian dishes were given a refined presentation suitable for an international gathering.

From Kashmir to Tamil Nadu

The menus prepared for delegates went much beyond the familiar butter chicken-and-naan image that often represents Indian food abroad.

The Taj Mahal, New Delhi, for example, created what was described as an “India Friendship Menu”, bringing together dishes and flavours from different parts of the country.

The spread included regional favourites such as:

Kashmir:
Spiced walnuts and Kashmiri flavours.

Old Delhi:
Purani Dilli maida kaju.

Maharashtra:
Bhakarwadi.

Rajasthan:
Mini kachori.

Bengal:
Kucho nimki.

Tamil Nadu:
Murukku.

And that is only a glimpse.

Another reported menu brought together Kashmiri pulao, Hyderabadi biryani, Lucknowi kebabs, Gujarati and Rajasthani preparations and South Indian dishes.

Imagine sitting at one table and travelling across India without boarding a train!

And then came the galouti kebab.

The famous Lucknowi galouti kebab also found its place in the menus prepared for the visiting dignitaries. For those unfamiliar with it, galouti literally carries the idea of something so tender that it practically melts in the mouth.

Traditionally associated with Lucknow's Awadhi cuisine, the kebab has a fascinating culinary history and is one of India's best-known examples of the sophistication of Indian meat cookery.

Interestingly, while the gala dinner at Bharat Mandapam was vegetarian, other meals and hotel menus for different guests included non-vegetarian dishes such as nalli nihari and pepper preparations.

So it is worth distinguishing between the vegetarian gala dinner and the broader food experience available to BRICS delegates in Delhi.

The edible lotus

And because a diplomatic dinner apparently cannot be complete without a little theatre, there was also edible art.

One of the special creations reported for the BRICS guests was an edible lotus, flavoured with rose, saffron and cardamom.

It was not merely food—it was presentation, symbolism and Indian aesthetics coming together on a plate.

The lotus, after all, is deeply embedded in Indian art and symbolism.

Turning it into something edible seems like a very Delhi way of saying:

Yes, we can make beautiful things—and yes, you can eat them too!

Traditional food meets international comfort.

There was another thoughtful aspect to the BRICS menus.

International guests have different dietary preferences, habits and comfort zones. So the chefs did not simply put an enormous Indian thali in front of everyone and say, “Good luck!”

The menus combined Indian regional dishes with foods and flavours familiar to international guests. Some hotels also planned personalised menus for different delegations. That is actually good hospitality. Because introducing someone to your food doesn't mean ignoring what they are accustomed to eating.

It means saying:

“This is who we are. Come, taste a little of our world.”

What about the vegetarian menu controversy?

The all-vegetarian BRICS gala dinner also became the subject of a political debate in India.

Critics argued that India's food culture is far too diverse to be represented by vegetarian food alone. Supporters, on the other hand, pointed out that vegetarian cuisine is an important and deeply rooted part of Indian culinary heritage—and that the dinner was specifically designed as a showcase of Indian vegetarian traditions.

There is truth in both observations. India is simultaneously the land of dal, dosa, paneer, kachori and khichdi—and of biryani, kebabs, nihari and fish curry.

Indian food cannot be reduced to either vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Its real strength lies in the extraordinary variety that exists side by side. And that, perhaps, is the better story to tell.

A meal that told the story of India

What I find most fascinating about the BRICS food story is that the menu was not really about luxury. Yes, the meals were served in some of Delhi's finest hotels. Yes, the presentation was elaborate. But many of the ingredients and dishes themselves are wonderfully ordinary.

Bajra.
Ragi.
Khandvi.
Murukku.
Bhakarwadi.
Kachori.
Paneer.
Phirni.

These are not ingredients invented for a diplomatic summit. They come from Indian homes, streets, farms and traditional kitchens. The BRICS table simply gave them a much larger audience. And perhaps that is the most delicious form of cultural diplomacy.

Before countries understand each other's politics, they can sometimes begin by understanding each other's food.

After all, a shared meal has been breaking barriers for centuries. And India, with its thousands of kitchens and countless food traditions, has quite a story to serve.

A final thought from Petpuja

We often say that India is a land of diversity. But diversity becomes much easier to understand when it is served on a plate. At BRICS 2026, Delhi did exactly that.

One summit.
Many cuisines.
A whole country on the plate.

And that is a menu worth talking about.

Sources: Reports from NDTV Food, The Indian Express, The Tribune, Times of India, Hindustan Times and other contemporary reports on the BRICS 2026 menus.

Neerja Bhatnagar

If you're looking for interesting and effective content on mental health, parenting, lifestyle, reviews, and more, consider subscribing to my other blog, Neerja's Musings.

Feel free to connect with me on social media to stay up to date on more content like this.

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |Twitter |Podcast

I have written 3 solo books and 3 anthologies. You can buy my books on Amazon. If you are on Kindle Unlimited, you can read them for free. Pls, do check and share your reviews.