In the Punjab, meat or no meat, you are almost guaranteed a free-for-all of intense colors, flavors and spices.
By the Numbers
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400
Years the Golden Temple’s communal dining hall or Guru ka Langar has been serving people free vegetarian food.
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16
Hours per day the dining hall is open
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1.75M
Total hours they’ve served food, historically
Fact
Village fairs serve as an opportunity for families who live very far apart to come together, eat, and partake in religious rites honoring local deities.
Local Lore
The route to Shimla boasts what is believed to be a haunted tunnel—Barog Tunnel. It is named for the British engineer, known as Colonel Barog, who ordered digging at two ends of a mountain. When both ends did not meet, legend has it that he shot himself. His ghost is said to wander that tunnel and a nearby train station.
Eats
Kulcha Magbool Rd., Old Octroy, Teja Sing Market, Shop No. 1
Amritsar, Punjab, 143001
+91 981 567 2729
What Bourdain ate: Kulcha, a flatbread often served with chickpea curry—a popular local breakfast food
Kesar da Dhaba
Anant Seth Wala Church, Passian
Shastri Market, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, 143006
+91 183 255 2103
What Bourdain ate: Chickpeas, saag (mustard greens), and naan bread
Golden Temple Guru ka Langar
Harmandir Sahib, Atta Mandi, Katra Ahluwalia
Amritsar, Punjab 143006, India
+91 183 255 3957
What Bourdain ate: Assorted vegetarian dishes
Beera Chicken
Majitha Rd., Sehaj Avenue,
Amritsar, Punjab 143001
What Bourdain ate: Local tandoori chicken
Sidekicks
Uday Sripathi: Documentarian.
Kanwar Ratanjit “Reggie” Singh: A hotelier descended from royalty (grandson of the last maharajah of Kapurthala), Singh is the owner of the Chapslee Estate in Shimla.
Sikhs are fundamentally against any caste system, believers in religious tolerance—but they are just as fundamentally war-like when it comes to defending their principles and what they see as their territory.
Lingo
Kesar da dhaba: Local food stall
Gurudwara: A Sikh place of worship
Guru ka Langar: Communal dining hall in a Gurudwara
