Tracing Migration through the lens of chhuara

Khajoornama returned to Delhi for its fourth edition, turning its attention to Chhuara, or dried dates, and the migrant communities that have shaped the city’s food culture.

Following the historic trading routes that brought Chhuara from Sindh into Old Delhi, the experience traced the fruit through markets, homes, kitchens and rituals. Khari Baoli emerged as an important point in this journey, where generations of traders continue to deal in a fruit whose own stories cross borders.

Through food, objects and personal histories, the edition explored how communities carried culinary traditions with them as they moved and rebuilt their lives. Brass tiffins from Shikarpur, Punjabi kaleeras, stone kharals and Delhi paan daans revealed the many ways in which Chhuara moved beyond sustenance to become part of memory, ritual and belonging. 

The tasting brought these stories back to the table through dishes including Kharek Samosa & Date Chutney, Date Pickle & Matthi and Sindhi Khoyo, before guests were invited to create their own Chhuara-led mukhwas from a table of spices, seeds and aromatics.

In doing so, Khajoornama 4.0 looked at migration not only through what people left behind, but through the tastes, objects and practices they chose to carry with them.