File picture of Vajpayee and Rio

Dimapur, Oct. 19: A team of chefs is working overtime to adapt some fiery Naga gastronomic delights to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s delicate palate.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to reach Kohima on October 27 and, knowing his passion for food, Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio is personally supervising the dining arrangements.

Rio has instructed his aides to spare no effort to give Vajpayee and his entourage a taste of “glorious Naga hospitality”, specifically the community’s varied cuisine.

In keeping with the instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office, the VIP spread will include continental, south Indian and north Indian dishes with sweets and fruit juice thrown in. The main attraction will, however, be the assortment of Naga delicacies that the chefs are working on.

Abu Mehta, who is in charge of the communication cell in the chief minister’s office, said the chefs were designing the Naga menu on the basis of tips given by experts from a New Delhi-based five star hotel recently.

He hoped the Prime Minister would “take a detour from his normal food habits” and savour the Naga delicacies, including barbecued fish with bamboo shoot, salads and chutney. “We presume the aroma of the Naga delicacies will attract the Prime Minister’s taste buds. However, red meat and alcohol will not be served.”

Vajpayee is known to relish non-spicy Chinese food, which is why those in the hospitality team are confident he will love the similar Naga dishes.

Apart from laying out a sumptuous spread, the government will have to ensure that the legs of the chairs on which the Prime Minister sits are between 17 and 19 cm. The specification is because of the twin knee surgeries that Vajpayee has undergone.