A participant at the summit checks out a delicacy on offer at a hotel in Patna on Friday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, Feb. 17: Along with a glimpse of the development and economic growth of Bihar, delegates at the global summit in the state capital today got a taste of some of its culinary delights.

Twenty-five delicacies were prepared for lunch and dinner of the delegates at hotel Maurya. Besides Punjabi and Lucknawi delicacies, Bihari dishes like pitha (steam dal covered with a paste of rice), litti, aloo chokha (smashed potato) and baigan bharta (smashed eggplant) were also on the menu. Bhojpuri speciality kaan puri — which is larger than the usual puri — was also served.

Sources said special emphasis was put on Bihari dishes to promote them.

Dinesh Pandey, the banquet in-charge of Maurya, told The Telegraph: “We have prepared food keeping in mind our foreign guests. We have used very little oil in our dishes, as most of them do not like oily food.”

He added that the Bihari dished would be served for dinner.

For lunch, the banquet hall of the hotel was decked up beautifully. Extra hands were hired to ensure that the arrangements were perfect. Many varieties of salads, like corn and cabbage and Russian, were served. Delegates could also relish mixed raita and papad.

“Salad is an important component of the menu. We have prepared different kinds of salad,” said Pandey.

The guests were also served vegetable mulligatawny soup during the presentations. “It is one of the most delicious soups,” said the banquet in-charge.

This thick soup, made from red lentils, derives its name from the Tamil words milagu tannir, meaning pepper-water.

Veggies and non-vegetarians had many options on offer. The former could relish vegetable Florentine, paneer kali mirch, kaali daal.

Non-vegetarians could satiate their tastebuds with murgh Awadhi korma and grilled fish.

A Canadian delegate said: “The food was really delicious. The hotel has made very good arrangements.”

The dish that drew everyone’s attention was, however, baked Alaska — a combination of an ice cream cake and a meringue.

Those with a sweet tooth could also dip into Indian desserts like gajar-ka-halwa and maplpuwa.