President Murmu hosts Swiss President Guy Parmelin to a Kashmiri-Ladakhi feast
After Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin’s luncheon with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 5, the evening was reserved for a special dinner with President Droupadi Murmu.
On Monday evening, President Murmu hosted a banquet in honour of President Parmelin and First Lady Caroline Parmelin at Rashtrapati Bhavan and the menu took inspiration from the culinary traditions of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. It brought together regional ingredients, traditional preparations and some lesser-known dishes from the two regions.
The menu itself described the Himalayan ranges as having fostered a cuisine rooted in "resourcefulness, refinement, and respect for seasonal produce" — much like the Swiss Alps. Ingredients such as sea buckthorn, apricot, wild nettle, yak cheese and barley from Ladakh, along with saffron, morels, lotus stem and fragrant spices from Kashmir, found their way into the meal.President Droupadi Murmu hosted a banquet dinner in the honour of Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation, and the First Lady Caroline Parmelin at Rashtrapati Bhavan last night. Pictures from the banquet dinner. https://t.co/1s8et2esJo— ANI (@ANI) October 6, 2026So, what exactly was on the menu?
The first course was Za Thuk, described on the menu as a nourishing Ladakhi wild nettle soup with winter peas and roasted millet pearls. It was served with assorted breads, setting the tone for a meal that stayed firmly rooted in the food traditions of the Himalayan region.
The salad course, Labo-Na Tsonma, was a showcase of the region's cheese-making traditions.
It brought together labo and chhurpi from Ladakh and kalari from Jammu, along with dried apple, walnuts and wild capers. The salad was dressed with sea buckthorn and honey.
It was served with buckwheat and foxtail crackers, Ladakhi chuli (apricot) jam and a yoghurt dip with skotse, or wild garlic chives.
The appetisers offered a mix of traditional preparations and street-food influences.
Kimb Chaat, described as a street-food delicacy from Jammu, featured boiled taro root and sweet potatoes with rice-flour crispies, sweetened yoghurt, tamarind sauce and starfruit. There was also Nadur Kebab with Dooyn Chetin — lotus-stem patties seasoned with aromatic Kashmiri spices and served with walnut chutney.
From Ladakh came Phorok Nangka, a charcoal-roasted whole-wheat 'mok mok' dumpling stuffed with turnip greens and caper leaves, served with tomato-onion relish. Food served at the Rashtrapati Bhavan banquet hosted by President Murmu. (Photo: ANI)
There was Chaman Qaliya, delicately spiced cottage cheese cooked in a milk and turmeric sauce, followed by Haakh, seasonal collard greens stewed with mustard oil and asafoetida. Dum Olav, another Kashmiri staple, featured potatoes cooked with yoghurt, dry ginger, fennel and other aromatic spices. The menu also included Tsok Wangun, baby eggplant cooked in a tangy sauce flavoured with cloves, ginger and fennel powder.
For rice, there was Kana Gucch Pulao, a fragrant pulao made with Kashmiri morels and whole spices. It was served with Mujj Chatni, a preparation of white radish with freshly churned yoghurt, along with Sheermal and Katlam breads. Food served at the Rashtrapati Bhavan banquet. (Photo: ANI)
The dessert course featured Shufta, a rich blend of stewed dry dates, cashew nuts, raisins and coconut, garnished with poppy seeds. There was also Phirin, a semolina and milk pudding flavoured with saffron, cardamom and dry fruits.
But the most distinctly Ladakhi dessert was Phaymer — a preparation of roasted barley, jaggery and butter served with Chura soft cheese.
Fresh fruits rounded off the dessert course.
The beverage menu stayed true to the Himalayan theme too.
Guests could have Kahwa, the Kashmiri tea flavoured with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron, or Gur Gur Chai, the traditional butter tea from Ladakh. There was also wild rose tea.
The Swiss President is in India on a three-day State visit from October 5 to 7, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is his first State visit to India and his second visit to the country this year, following his participation in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February.- Ends
