The best of the diverse Indian cuisine, be it North Indian, Hyderabadi, Mughlai, Lucknowi or South Indian, is on offer at a three-day Indian food festival which began at the Indian Consulate premises on Thursday.

The festival is being organized by the Consulate General of India in association with Saudi-Indian Business Network (SIBN) to celebrate the diversity and richness of Indian food.

Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai inaugurated the festival along with chief guest Saud Ali Al-Shaikhi of the Ministry of Culture and Information in the presence of dignitaries.

Foodies in Jeddah will get to taste a variety of mouth-watering delicacies including biryani, haleem, kebabs, naan, chhola bhatura, several chicken and mutton dishes and curries, idli, sambar, dosa, spicy chaats, snacks, dessert, sweets and ice creams. And what better way to enjoy the spread than having Indian music playing in the background.

Speaking to Arab News, Faiz Kidwai said: “The objective is to showcase the vibrancy of Indian culture and tradition to the local residents by bringing different flavors of food from various parts of India. The 18 restaurants and eateries participating in the festival are offering scrumptious dishes.”

Appreciating Kidwai’s efforts in organizing the festival, Al-Shaikhi said: “Being a big fan of Indian food, I am happy to be invited as chief guest. The festival reflects the rich cultural diversity of India. I would love to see more such festivals in future.”

“Ingredients for the dishes have been brought from Hyderabad. We presented a range of signature Mughlai dishes like biryani, mutton and chicken curries and haleem,” said one of the participants.

Besides people enjoying authentic Indian food, the festival will also help in the growth of business, he added.

Another restaurant owner said: “The spread is simple but authentic and is intended to give food lovers a complete experience.”

Various other exotic Indian delicacies from participating restaurants caught the attention of visitors.

Malaysian Consul General Mohammed Khalil Abdul Razak said: “Surely, Indian food is rich in variety, taste and flavor that can satisfy every palate. This festival is like a mini India with dishes from various regions.”

Razak, impressed by the huge turnout of different communities, said it would be great to organize an Asian food festival in collaboration with all the Asian Consulates.

Kidwai distributed certificates of appreciation to the participating restaurants and thanked them for supporting the festival during the busy weekends.