The menu of a banquet hosted by Droupadi Murmu for Vietnamese President Tô Lâm and a district-wise culinary map of Uttar Pradesh has provided fodder for social media memes and jokes galore, with many pointing to the absence of non-vegetarian options and the inclusion of “edible oil” as a signature dish.
Among the items on the menu for the presidential banquet were stuffed broccoli – which was listed as Vilayti Gobi – as well as stir-fried carrots and peas, and bajra khichdi.
Menu of the banquet hosted by President Murmu in honour of Vietnam president To Lam pic.twitter.com/ljZmOA81A9
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) May 6, 2026 Author and columnist Rajyasree Sen described it as an “utterly unimaginative menu – the worst of Indian vegetarian food”. She added: “To serve this to the president of a country which is incapable of serving even one tasteless meal, even in the simplest home. Shame.”
What an utterly unimaginative menu - the worst of Indian vegetarian food. And to serve this to the President of a country which is incapable of serving even one tasteless meal, even in the simplest home. Shame. https://t.co/A0HJRRpJpx
— Brown Sahiba (@Rajyasree) May 7, 2026 Another social media user, Vidit Bhargava, remarked that dishes such as “matar wale chawl” or rice with peas and khichdi would normally constitute food that is eaten on an upset stomach. On similar lines, a social media user named Manohar Kanapaka described the menu as a “famine diet travesty”.
I looked at this menu with a sadness that what would once look like the menu for an average Delhi restaurant is what’s being served at the Presidents’ dinner.
Dal Amritsari is still there but Chawal Matar and Khichdi?! Why would you serve food that’s eaten on an upset stomach!? https://t.co/weTObCuR88
— Vidit Bhargava (@viditb) May 7, 2026 The Vietnamese statesman surely would’ve loved some Amritsari Fish tikka or Rara Chicken.
Instead he got this famine diet travesty.
— Manohar Kanapaka (@mkanapaka) May 6, 2026 Other social media users commented by sharing GIFs and memes about the menu and the culinary map.
Vietnamese president who planned the entire trip to eat butter chicken and Galoti kebab but served khichdi and gobhi. pic.twitter.com/KDXfTwfxiB https://t.co/77W5H9nq53
— AIN (@Tejusurya_) May 6, 2026 A day earlier, media reports said that the Uttar Pradesh government had notified a district-wise culinary map under its “One District-One Cuisine” scheme. Under the initiative, each of the state’s 75 districts would be assigned a signature dish for branding, marketing and export, the Hindustan Times reported.
All food items on the list were vegetarian, the newspaper reported.
Uttar Pradesh has notified an exhaustive district-wise culinary map under its ‘One District-One Cuisine’ (ODOC) scheme, assigning each of the state’s 75 districts a set of signature dishes for branding, marketing and export. Every item on the list is vegetarian.
To read the full… pic.twitter.com/ibGHmrQnzT
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) May 6, 2026 “Edible oil”, listed as a signature dish for Kanpur Dehat, fueled a host of tongue-in-cheek remarks on social media platform X.
IIT Kanpur mess serves the local delicacy, edible oil, once a month. The mess is full that day, with students fighting with each other to get a sip of this unique delicacy. They serve it in alumni reunions too. https://t.co/Y6UTGr0A0o
— peeleraja (@peeleraja) May 7, 2026 Edible oil only in Kanpur? Other districts use diesel to fry? https://t.co/bEedzFp7uY
— Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) May 6, 2026 Former Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that although she is a vegetarian, she found it “laughable” to exclude Lucknow’s signature meat dishes while speaking of cuisine from Uttar Pradesh.
I am a strict vegetarian yet I feel talking of UP cuisine, especially city like Lucknow, minus its signature meat dishes is so laughable! pic.twitter.com/LZxFpnxVZp
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) May 6, 2026 Social media user Amit Schandillia described the list as “garbage right off the bat”. He said: “Nothing in Lucknow is even nearly as iconic than biryani, galaoti kebab, and nalli nihari. Least of all ANYTHING vegetarian.”
Nothing in Lucknow is even nearly as iconic than biryani, galaoti kebab, and nalli nihari. Least of all ANYTHING vegetarian. This list is garbage right off the bat. pic.twitter.com/2hFwoRScOs
— Amit Schandillia (@Schandillia) May 6, 2026 Another social media user, Shiblee, noted that Lucknow was last year designated as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s city of gastronomy for its “vibrant and delicious non veg cuisines”.
“Meanwhile, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has declared Chaat, Daal and milk-based products as signature dishes of Lucknow,” she remarked.
Lucknow was designated as UNESCO's city of gastronomy for it's vibrant and delicious non veg cuisines.
Meanwhile Govt of Uttar Pradesh has declared Chaat, Daal and milk based product as signature dishes of Lucknow. 😂😂 https://t.co/Ow1hfFMPEM pic.twitter.com/ekl7IbViYg
— شبلی (@_shiblee) May 7, 2026
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