Three desserts that look exactly alike arrive at the table, and only the cook knows which one is made with onion. The game began in the Nawabs' own dining room, and meals in Rampur still feel like an invitation to linger and talk, over taar korma, doodhiya biryani and a soft halwa made with ginger.
Away from the table, the Raza Library keeps its manuscripts inside a palace in the old fort, and the clock above the Jama Masjid gate came from Britain. Summers are fiercely hot, the monsoon arrives in July, and winter brings cool, foggy mornings. A Local Friend can bring you into their own mohalla, where the best korma is the one simmering next door.
