If you were following us on Instagram, then you must be knowing that Patna Diaries recently started an initiative to unite the Patna Food Bloggers Community. Till now, we have a group of around 20 enthusiastic and active food bloggers who are working in Patna. Last month, we had a few formal-informal meets with them.
And, then we came up with the idea that why not explore Sabzibagh in the month of Ramzaan.
So, few of our food bloggers from the community gathered together to start the food walk on the streets of Sabzibagh in Patna in the month of May. And, believe me, it was a very fun, different and new experience for most of us.
Our exploration began with a small lane in Sabzibagh. The time was around 6 PM and we could see the preparations being done for Iftaari. It is the meal that people who are on Roza have to end their daily Ramzaan fast at sunset.
I always thought that iftaar food must consist of non-vegetarian food.
Thanks to the stereotypes that we make in our daily life 😉 But, I came to know that people generally don’t eat a very heavy meal after a long fast. The only thing they were really craving was water. They had Rooh-afza and fruits with high water content, like watermelon and musk melon. Apart from those light snack items like pakoda, pyaazi and ghugni-channa were also served.
After this, we shifted our attention to the sweet items that were available in the market.
We had imarti, phirnee and shahi tukda. They had the perfect amount of sweet in it, which was not too sweet 🙂
We also saw a different kind of sevai and laccha being sold in the market. Some of the all-time delicacies like paav biscuit and bakarkhani were also found. Bakarkhani, a Mughlai cuisine, is a flat thick sweet bread that we can have with tea or use as roti.
Talking of tea, how can I miss mentioning – Sheer Chai.
The famous pink chai that people have during Ramzaan. The cups in which they were being sold were extremely cute. The pink colour though reminded me of a certain pink medicine that we used to have in our childhood. Thankfully, the taste was not like medicine. But, I am not a huge milk fan. So, I tasted just a little bit. The other food bloggers in our group enjoyed it a lot. I would suggest you go taste it on your own and then make an opinion about it. 🙂
Despite trying too many different things we still had space for dinner in our stomach. Yes, that is why we are called food bloggers 😉 We take our job very seriously.
We headed towards the joint – New Habibya Hotel in Muradpur Lane. It is one of the oldest food joints in Sabzibagh area. They are famous for their Parantha and Kebab. Our bloggers especially loved the chicken kebab. It was very tender and tangy and did not contain artificial colours that stick to your hand.
That brought us to the end of our food walk in the lanes and by-lanes of Sabzibagh area.
If you like to explore different cultural vibes of the city, then it is highly recommended that you visit Sabzibagh during Ramzaan evenings. Else, you can also watch our YouTube video exploring Sabzibagh with the members of food bloggers, featuring the following food bloggers; Pria and Sonam from Patna Shots, Neda and Nawaz from Patna Food Meter, Lori from Patna Eatery, Riya and Suhani from Foodie-Moodie, and Kanishk from House of Foodies.
P.S. On a side note, apart from food, I would like to tell you that this walk also helped me break another stereotype that girls are not found on streets eating iftaari. We saw a good amount of ladies also having iftaari in some of the joints. I learnt that from next time before making any bias, one should first go and experience it.
