Hyderabad fondly known as the ‘Pearl City’ is an enchanting land of heritage monuments,forts,palaces, lakes, museums, gardens, software parks and more importantly a delectable cuisine fit for the kings. The once princely state was a kingdom of the wealthy and powerful Qutubshahi and Asafjahi rulers. The relics of their glorious rule can still be seen all over the city.
We recently had a chance to visit the beautiful Falaknuma Palace where one of my close relatives got engaged in true royal style. Falaknuma which means ‘like the sky’ is a grand palace built by the Prime minister of Hyderabad Viqar Ul Umra between 1884 and 1893. It was built in the shape of a scorpion with two stings and is a rare blend of Italian and Tudor architecture. The palace which was the Prime minister’s dream project was used as his private residence until in 1897,he decided to extend an invitation to the then ruler of Hyderabad, Mehboob Ali Pasha Nizam VI. The ruler liked it so much that he stayed there for almost a month. The Prime minister had to offer the palace to the ruler as a gift. But the Nizam was a grand man and he paid a huge amount for the palace and bought it.The palace remained as the private property of the Nizam family, and was opened to the public,not until 2000.
The state reception room is one of the palace highlights where the ceiling is decorated with frescoes and gilded reliefs. The ballroom contains a two-ton manually operated organ said to be the only one of its kind in the world.
The Falaknuma Palace also has the largest collection of Venetian chandeliers, with 40 138-arm Osler chandeliers in the halls.
The palace has a huge 108 ft long 101-seat dining hall, considered the largest in the world, and the Durbar Hall, embellished with intricately carved wooden ceilings, parquet flooring, walnut furniture and handcrafted mirrors. And the tableware was made of gold and crystal.
“The library at Falaknuma Palace is as majestic as Windsor Castle’s library in England. Modeled after Windsor Castle’s library, it treasures a large collection of rare manuscripts and books from the Nizam’s repertoire. The billiards table in the billiards room is one of the two pieces of its kind. The other is at the Buckingham Palace in London.”
The bride and the groom arrived in royal style in a horse drawn carriage.And when everything was so ornate and opulent,how could the food be left behind.The grandeur of the elaborate spread was borrowed from the days of the legendary Nizami feasts.The dinner in the stunning Durbar hall bedecked with Belgian chandeliers was served with utmost care and carried with it the sumptuousness and royal splendor of the bygone era.
Our dinner menu was neatly rolled up and placed on individual plates,so that we knew what was being served and what was coming up next. If you can see on the menu there is a course named ‘Waqfa’ which means a pause or interval between something. We were served Strawberry and lemon sorbet as a palate cleanser in this course.
A palate cleanser is mainly served for the purpose of clearing the taste buds of one taste from a previous food to prepare for a new one. Sorbets are considered as the traditional palate cleansers because of their tart and clean flavors.
The whole experience was mesmerizing and enchanting. We felt no less than royalty.After coming back home I tried to make the Strawberry Sorbet at home which was quite close to the one we had at the palace.
Recipe: Strawberry and Orange Sorbet
You can make it in an ice cream maker or simply freeze it in a shallow container.
Step One:
- 900g strawberries hulled , pureed and strained
Step two:
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
Step three:
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups water
Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Keep stirring and cook for 5 minutes.
Step four:
Blend the strawberry puree,orange and lemon juices with the sugar syrup. Cover and cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
Step five:
Now either churn it in an ice cream maker or if you don’t have one, simply place it in an airtight food grade plastic container and freeze it. Stir it every hour for at least six hours for a smooth texture.
Enjoy this delicious sorbet as a palate cleanser between different courses of a meal or simply as a dessert.
Aromas and Flavors from my Kitchen 
Wow! Opulent ain’t the word, and if this is just the engagement celebration, I wonder what the wedding ceremony might be like. Interesting fact about the sorbet used as a palate cleanser. Love this sorbet, will probably be making it when our warm weather hits. Nice to see sightings of you here and there Ana 🙂
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Thank you Loretta! My cousin’s wife always dreamed of a royal wedding for her son. But as there was at least a year for the wedding she wanted it all for the engagement.It costed them a bomb but in the end they were all very happy with the arrangements ☺The sorbet is an interesting and easy recipe. Definitely worth trying.
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Thank you Loretta! My cousin’s wife always dreamed of a royal wedding for her son. But as there was at least a year for the wedding she wanted it all for the engagement.It costed them a bomb but in the end they were all very happy with the arrangements ☺The sorbet is an interesting and easy recipe. Definitely worth trying.
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Looks delicious and a recipe I have printed. Over the years my husband and I have dined at some very fancy restaurants and they often served sorbet as a palate cleanser. Nice recipe Ana…
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Thank you so much dear Judi for your kind feedback. It means a lot to me ☺
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A lovely sorbet! Healthy too. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much. It can be made and stored in the freezer without a change in the taste.
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It’s so tempting…..
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Thank you Saumya👍
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My angle….I have missed you. How lovely to see you back with the most gorgeous post too x
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Aww… Thank you so much dear lovely Sheh👸 I have missed you a lot too. I hope all the Sheh family is doing good including the little hamsters. I will pay them a visit soon😍💕
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Don’t you worry about that my angel, It is just lovely to see you back and to read your sumptuous post xxxxxxxx
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Wow, what an amazing experience! That palace is so beautiful, and I bet the Prime Minister was sad he had to give it up. I love your strawberry sorbet recreation. I am keeping this for strawberry season, my kids are going to love it!
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Thanks for the kind words Antonia ☺I am sure he didn’t have the heart to give his dream home away. But it was the case in those days. Any property which the Nizam liked the owner had to gift it to him. Cruel but true. Most of the times the Nizam would pay for it but he had to possess it.
And strawberry sorbet!!yes your kids will love it👌😊😍
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We ar at the tail end of summer here. I might take advantage and make your sorbet. Sounds delicious.
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End of summer! !Wow!Which place is this. And thank you. Please do try it.
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Officially summer ends here (Australia) 28th February, but March is often hot. We’ve just been through a heat wave. 🙂
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Oh ok! We are on the start of summer here. Have a wonderful weekend and a pleasant March ahead ☺🌻🌻🌻👍
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I loved that menu.
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Yeah! It was delicious and well presented. Thank you
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That sounds delicious=)
Greetings
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Thank you so much ☺
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What gorgeous pictures!
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Thank you dear. Nice to hear from you ☺
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Oh my God! What a treat it must have been to go to this event, Ana! Thanks for sharing the photos with us.
Both of us had strawberries on our mind:) Your sorbet looks divine!
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It really was Sandhya😍It was an amazing experience. Thank you so much for liking it. I am hopping on to your blog to see your wonderful dish.
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Nothing like the grandeur of these palaces of the bygone era. What an experience to feel like royalty of the time!
Thanks so much Ana for visiting my blog and checking out the dishes. I really appreciate it.
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The palace is beautiful, and the sorbet looks awesome.
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Hi Ana
I have nominated you for the Blogger Recognition Award.
Here is the link-
https://pamperurtastebuds.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/blogger-recognition-award/
Congratulations!!!
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Hey Saumya! Thank you so much dear. It means a lot to me. 💕
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U deserve it…
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What a beautiful post, SKD. I enjoyed the historical context, the gorgeous photos, and seeing the menu was huge fun. As for strawberry-orange sorbet — I love it! Hugs.
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Thank you so much dear Teagan.Your kind words made my day.
Lots of hugs and regards
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Yes. Initially I got confused 😀
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Excellent article 👌
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Thanks Payel☺
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Amazing sorbet! Beautiful post!!
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Thank you so much ☺
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Excellent post and place. The presentation of the sorbet is remarkable… Looks delicious….
Wishing you a beautiful weekend, dear SKD! 😉
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Thank you dear Aqui. I am so glad you liked it. It was a hit especially with our little visitors who kept asking for repeat serves and one of them pestered his mom to take the recipe from me ☺
Wish you a lovely weekend too. Have fun 🌞🌻🌼🌺🌹
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Beautiful, simply beautiful!
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Thank you Nell ☺
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That looks yum …. hey and listen, I have nominated you for the mystery blogger award and here is the link
https://neetuskitchen.wordpress.com/2017/03/28/mystery-blogger-award/?preview=true
Go through the same and congratulations 🙂
Regards,
Neetu
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Yay!Thank you Neetu. I am overwhelmed because I lovvve awards 😍
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Haha 🙂 congratulations
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Huh, have not considered orange juice before… I’ll have to try that next time. Looks delicious 🙂
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Delicious and ideal for summer👌 Thank you for liking it
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What a fab sorbet! I need to make it soon! This was a truly wonderful enjoyable post! 🙂 x
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