Birds on sale near Kanta Toli chowk on Tuesday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, Dec. 25: Aping the West, the demand for turkey, partridges and good wine for thanksgiving on Christmas has soared in the state capital.

Ranchiites have developed a palate for birds and wine for a grand Christmas lunch compelling bird and wine-sellers to keep their stocks full.

The concept of having roasted turkey on Christmas has made inroads into the city, said Kantatoli resident Rajnish Tigga. Earlier, birds were not available easily and there was no question of any extravagance, he said.

Non-vegetarian dishes are a must-have for Christmas lunch. In winter, one likes to have hot food along with wine to beat the chill. In Europe, because of extreme low temperature, consumption of meat and alcohol is high. Though it is less colder here, eating and making merry are parts of the yearend festivities, Tigga said.

Seeing the change in trend of birds rather than mutton, bird-sellers in the city have geared up to meet the customers’ demand. As Fazlu, a bird-seller in Kanta Toli put it, the sale of partridge, turkey and quail (locally known as bater) is the maximum on Christmas.

While the rates for birds have been hiked owing to the high demand, partridges and turkey are available for Rs 500 a pair while the quails being smaller in size are available for anything between Rs 35 and Rs 60 at Kanta Toli and Lalpur Chowk markets.

“People keep coming to the shop about two weeks before Christmas and enquire about the availability of birds. Customers even pay an advance to book their share of birds for the D-day. The birds are popular because they have more flesh than normal chicken and taste different,” added the young bird-seller.

Besides birds, sale of wine has also registered a high in the city. With wines freely available in open market now, any connoisseur can pick up his favourite bottle from either a wine shop or enjoy the drink in one of the city hotels, which serve excellent brews from different breweries in the country.

Among the popular wines doing the rounds are Ivy Zinfandel, Riviera Red Wine, Riviera Rose Wine and Rivera White Wine. Marquise De Pompadour, one of the best champagnes, is also a favourite and very popular.

Ria, a law student who is in the city to spend Christmas vacation, said wines are body-warmers as well as good appetisers. “Though I do not eat much, a shot of wine makes me feel quite hungry. There is nothing like a good meal after a glass wine,” she quipped.