Food and Agriculture Tourism is a relatively new form of tourism that is gaining popularity around the world.
This form of tourism is highly socially and environmentally beneficial as it supports eco-friendly family-run and self-sustaining enterprises like farm stays, homestays, plantation houses, wellness retreats, rural tourism, tribal tourism, cottage industries, cooking classes, restaurants, cafes, home enterprises, etc.
For hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs, and food bloggers travel to such properties offers incredible opportunities to learn about different cuisines and ingredients.
FEA FOOD TRAILS
FEA Food Trails, powered by North West Safaries, takes travelers to places where they can taste traditional cuisines together with experiencing the culture, nature, architecture, and crafts.
FOOD AND FARM TOUR TO VADODARA
Vadodara or Baroda was once the capital of the Baroda Princely State. It was ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty, one of the largest and most affluent princely states in India. The cuisines of the Maratha rulers of Baroda and other princely states can be enjoyed at Madhav Bagh – Royal Home Stay at Vadodara.
Madhav Bagh was built by Shrimant Madhavrao Gaekwad in the 1890s and is currently owned by his grandson Shivraj Gaekwad.
We started in the morning from Ahmedabad. Our first stop was the Misroite Farm, run by the Gyaneshwari and Ishwar Singh as an agritourism and sports facilities. Ishwar Singh is a champion shooter and the couple run the local rifle club. The farm has a state-of-the-art trap shooting range.
After breakfast, we started out for Madhav Bagh. The palatial building presents an impressive elevation with European, Islamic and Hindu features, with a garden in front dominated by an attractive British fountain.
Indrayani Devi presented the food of Maratha dynasties attractively plated for photography. The food covered a variety of dishes like Sunti which is one of the famous Thanjavuri Maratha dishes, Bakar Komdi or Bharli Komdi in Kolhapuri style, Mutton Parsandi which is a dish widely prevalent in Maratha palace, Raj Vilasi Rassa, Fish Curry and many other dishes.
FOOD AND HERITAGE TRAIL TO SAYLA
Established in 1751, Sayla was a 575 sq km princely state ruled by Jhala Rajputs, a clan that came to Saurashtra from Sindh in the 12th century. Bell Guest House is a heritage homestay run by Somrraj Sinh Jhala. Somraj’s mother Thakorani Rajyashree Devi belonged to the erstwhile ruling family of Bolangir Patna in Odisha, his maternal grandmother was the daughter of Maharaja Bhupender Singh of Patiala and his paternal grandmother had Chattisgarh and Nepalese descent.
We set out for Bell Guest House to try the range of cuisines that the property offers. Together with this, we also visited the 12th century Navlakha Temple at Sejakpur, the single ikat Patola weaving workshops and the Tangaliya weaving workshop.
FOOD TRAIL TO THE LITTLE RANN OF KUTCH
This trip was planned at the end of the monsoon when many fish and prawns are caught in the Little Rann of Kutch, inundated by water during the rains.
The trail started with breakfast at Gopi Dining Hall. On reaching Rann Riders, we saw the handicrafts of Dasada, Ambala and Viramgam like Rabari embroidery, ikat weaving, tangaliya weaving, beadwork and kalamkari. The food was delicious, covering Mughlai, Kathiawadi and local specialties. We also took a short safari by jeep in the Wild Ass Sanctuary.
