Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has revealed that dal chawal has become an essential part of her daily diet, describing it as the taste of home.
In an interview with HarperCollins, the publisher of her newly released autobiography Belonging: A Journey of Love, Sonia spoke about her evolving relationship with food.
Gandhi spoke about the special place food has held in her life, recalling how it also played a role in her meeting with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
In her post on X accompanying the video, Sonia Gandhi said, “Food has always had a special place in my story. It was while looking for a good meal that I met Rajiv, and fell in love.”
She posted the video which was shot before Diwali with daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and granddaughter Miraya Vadra at the 1, Safdarjung Road house where she used to say when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister.
Recalling her early experiences with Indian food, Gandhi said she was initially amazed by the country's culinary diversity but found its spices intimidating.
“Years later, India came to me the same way, one meal at a time. At first the variety amazed me and the spice scared me,” she said.
Over the years, however, her food preferences changed, with dal chawal becoming a familiar comfort and a taste she now associates with home.
“Now dal chawal is the taste of home, and I can't go a day without it,” Gandhi wrote.
She also listed Bengali food, Kashmiri kofta, kebabs, chicken tikka, chicken tandoori and dal makhani among her favourite foods.
“I love Indian food. Bengali food I love. Believe it or not, I love Gujarati food from Surat,” she said.
Sonia also spoke about her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi and her approach to food. Although Indira could not cook herself, she had a keen sense of taste and could identify what a dish was lacking. She would often suggest what needed to be added to improve its flavour.
