The Aam Aadmi Party is in the middle of its Lok Sabha election campaign, and Kejriwal is everywhere. In Mumbai, Kejriwal is even on the breakfast menu. Along with Bangalore's Congress kadalekai, the Kejriwal – an old-time snack – has acquired new bite this heated election season.
The Kejriwal is a dish of toasted bread topped with melted cheese, a fried egg and chillies. It's been around for at least 40 or 50 years, long before anybody had heard of Arvind Kejriwal.
The story behind the name can be traced to the elite Willingdon Club near the Mumbai racecourse in Mahalaxmi, which once had a regular member called Deviprasad Kejriwal. "The popular story is that Mr Kejriwal was a Marwari businessman who was not allowed to eat eggs in his vegetarian home," said Kainaz Messman, founder of the Theobroma franchise that serves its own version of the Kejriwal, with chili-cheese toast topped with fried eggs. Deviprasad Kejriwal is said to have devised the dish and instructed chefs at the club to cook it exactly the way he liked it.
The dish is still popular at the Willingon Club. Said one waiter, "Members say, please keep the Kejriwal on the menu but don't bring Anna Hazare anywhere near us."
Congress kadlebeeja (peanuts), also called Congress kadalekai, is one of several snack mixtures sold in Bangalore. Unlike other mixtures popular with Bangaloreans such as the Madras or Bombay ones that are an egalitarian mix of boondi, sev, peanuts, fried poha and besan fries, Congress kadlebeeja is dominated by peanuts. Split peanuts, to be precise.
This mixture acquired its name around 1969, when Indira Gandhi split the Congress party. As the Congress split, so were the peanuts. Another explanation for the name comes from the colours of the ingredients. The peanuts are yellow, the masala in which they are tossed is orange, and they are garnished with roasted green curry leaves: the colours, in short, of the Congress flag.
Congress kadlebeeja is available at any Iyengar Bakery across Bangalore. All you have to do is tell the person at the counter that you want “Congress”. It is a popular snack with coffee for the pious, and as a bar snack for those who prefer their drink stronger.
Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this article erroneously attributed Eggs Kejriwal to Alok Kejriwal.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
The Kejriwal is a dish of toasted bread topped with melted cheese, a fried egg and chillies. It's been around for at least 40 or 50 years, long before anybody had heard of Arvind Kejriwal.
The story behind the name can be traced to the elite Willingdon Club near the Mumbai racecourse in Mahalaxmi, which once had a regular member called Deviprasad Kejriwal. "The popular story is that Mr Kejriwal was a Marwari businessman who was not allowed to eat eggs in his vegetarian home," said Kainaz Messman, founder of the Theobroma franchise that serves its own version of the Kejriwal, with chili-cheese toast topped with fried eggs. Deviprasad Kejriwal is said to have devised the dish and instructed chefs at the club to cook it exactly the way he liked it.
The dish is still popular at the Willingon Club. Said one waiter, "Members say, please keep the Kejriwal on the menu but don't bring Anna Hazare anywhere near us."
Congress kadlebeeja (peanuts), also called Congress kadalekai, is one of several snack mixtures sold in Bangalore. Unlike other mixtures popular with Bangaloreans such as the Madras or Bombay ones that are an egalitarian mix of boondi, sev, peanuts, fried poha and besan fries, Congress kadlebeeja is dominated by peanuts. Split peanuts, to be precise.
This mixture acquired its name around 1969, when Indira Gandhi split the Congress party. As the Congress split, so were the peanuts. Another explanation for the name comes from the colours of the ingredients. The peanuts are yellow, the masala in which they are tossed is orange, and they are garnished with roasted green curry leaves: the colours, in short, of the Congress flag.
Congress kadlebeeja is available at any Iyengar Bakery across Bangalore. All you have to do is tell the person at the counter that you want “Congress”. It is a popular snack with coffee for the pious, and as a bar snack for those who prefer their drink stronger.
Corrections and clarifications: An earlier version of this article erroneously attributed Eggs Kejriwal to Alok Kejriwal.
