The lunch menu for Swiss President Guy Parmelin during his visit to India featured unique dishes like 'Dharti Ke Phool' and masala chai ice cream. While some praised the creativity, others mocked the extravagant names and vegetarian offerings, calling them unappetizing.
AFTER PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI and Swiss President Guy Parmelin’s bilateral talks held in New Delhi on October 5, 2026, diplomacy was carried out through fusion dishes featuring Indian and Swiss cuisines. While the menu has been making rounds on the internet, many netizens have expressed their dissent over the lavish meal served to the Swiss president.
The lunch was hosted by PM Modi during the Swiss president’s visit on October 5. During their bilateral meeting, the duo signed five agreements, according to a report by All India Radio (AIR). The agreements covered major areas such as migration and mobility partnership, promotion and collaboration in transportation technologies, mobility systems and infrastructure in identified areas, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship.
The agreements also included a letter of intent between the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Department of Science and Technology, among others.
Following the talks, Parmelin was treated to lunch with PM Modi and dinner with President Droupadi Murmu. The menu for the meal has gained widespread attention for its style of preparation, incorporating both Indian and Swiss-inspired cuisine. From Dharti Ke Phool (Flowers of Earth) to masala chai ice cream, PM Modi’s lunch with Parmelin has become a talking point on the internet, with netizens sharing their opinions on the multi-course, extravagant meal prepared for the Swiss president.
The lunch was held at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, and the menu has everyone talking. Netizens’ eyes fell on one dish from the list of appetizers, named ‘Dharti Ke Phool’ (Flowers of Earth), which is a mushroom dish. The menu describes its preparation as: “Earth-blossom mushroom juliennes cooked in a slow-simmered onion gravy and a blend of regional aromatics.” Another lesser-known dessert on the menu was masala chai ice cream, described as “a fusion of organic black tea infused with warming, aromatic spices and sweet caramelized ice cream.”
The menu for the lunch also included Gobi Mussalam, Farrukhabadi Alukam Raclette, Besani Lauki Lachha, carved fresh fruits, and more. Journalist and NDTV Managing Editor Shiv Aroor shared an image of the menu along with a photograph of the masala chai ice cream on X on October 5, 2026. Referring to the lunch as “superb,” he wrote, “I hugely enjoyed every bit of it, except the lauki, which I carefully avoided.”
Many users expressed their thoughts, taking a jibe at the menu. One user wrote, “The Swiss President will probably Swiggy something once he reaches his hotel.” Other users slammed the vegetarian meal, writing, “All fancy names don’t hide the fact that it’s all vegetarian and terribly unappetising!”
Some users also took a dig at the way mushrooms were described as “Dharti Ke Phool” and how fancy names were given to make the dishes sound more sophisticated and elaborate. “I think these are all made-up names to sound sophisticated,” wrote a user on X.
They further continued, “Farukhabadi blah blah is just aloo chat. And what’s tikhat daal? It’s tikhi daal or tikhat varan.”
The menu describes the dish named Farrukhabadi Alukam Raclette as “fire-roasted, skin-on potatoes served as jacket potatoes with Swiss raclette cheese, hari dhaniya chutney & chaat masala.” One user even wrote, “Looks like prison food with fancy names.”
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(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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