Dastarkhwan: Wajid Ali Shah's Culinary Legacy (Preorder November 2026)
Fatima Mirza and Shahanshah Mirza
Dastarkhwan opens a window into the rich culinary world of Awadh, as told by the direct descendants of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, its last ruler. Bringing together recipes, stories and family traditions passed down through generations, the book offers a rare, first-hand account of a culinary heritage that has been preserved and cherished within the family to this day.
   With recipes rooted in the royal kitchens of Lucknow, where food was an art and cooks were entrusted with closely-guarded techniques and secrets, Dastarkhwan is also a story of inheritance: of Lucknow, of Wajid Ali Shah and his stay in Calcutta, and of recipes carried through the generations and still cooked today.
Fatima Mirza traces her ancestry to Prince Mirza Mohammad Hamid Ali Bahadur (1840–1874), heir apparent to the throne of Awadh and the son of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah and his first Nikahi wife, Alam Ara Begum. She grew up in Lucknow, where cooking is regarded as a sophisticated art. An alumna of La Martiniere Girls’ College, she has remained closely connected to her heritage, culture and culinary traditions. Her passion for cooking began early, nurtured by her mother, grandmother and aunt, from whom she learned the art of the kitchen.
Shahanshah Mirza, IRS, is the great-great-grandson of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. A public speaker and dedicated social and environmental activist, this is his fourth book.
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