Food lovers can choose from more than 170 stalls at Naada Habba this year

Mysuru: As part of the authorities’ plans to bring back all the staple components of the Naada Habba celebrations this year, the much touted ‘Food Festival’ too is set to return to the table, much to the delight of gourmets across the country. Those with sharply refined culinary sensibilities would have sorely missed the whiff of the aromatic rice being cooked slowly on oblong bamboo sticks, before being served, piping hot, the taste of the traditional biriyani enriched by the essence of bamboo. This year, not only will the gourmands be able to feast on the biriyani, but on various other delicacies, many of which are specific to small regions of India, with 174 stalls being set up as part of the Dasara Food Festival.
From a whole range of stalls dedicated purely to vegetarian fare and several others serving the countless delicacies that one can make with eggs to non-vegetarian outlets, connoisseurs of food are bound to be spoilt for choice. The stalls will be divided among two venues – with around 100 stalls being set up at the Scouts and Guides Ground behind the deputy commissioner’s office, and 75 of them at the grounds of the Lalitha Mahal Palace.
Restauranteurs, big and small, from across the state will be setting up stalls at the festival, starting from Monday. The stalls will open at 3pm to the public, and close around 11pm. GT Dinesh Kumar, commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (Muda), appointed special officer for the Dasara food festival, told TOI that it had been decided to divide the stalls at two venues to manage the situation more efficiently.
Visitors can taste the famous Davanagere benne dosa, the Bangarpet panipuri, and many indigenous vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies. Several stalls will also be dedicated to food from the coast, and those from North India.
The Food Festival was added to the Naada Habba itinerary around 15 years ago, and has since been one of the major attractions of the annual fete. However, a Mysuru-based hotelier expressed disappointment with the government for failing to consult experts in the sector before planning the event, since their suggestions would have helped organise the Food Festival on a much larger scale.