Dastarkhān

A dastarkhwān, also spelled dastarkhān, is a cherished tradition in South and Central Asia, referring to the special setting where meals are enjoyed. This term encompasses both the tablecloth that provides a clean surface for food and the entire meal arrangement.

The Mughal Indian cookbook "Dastarkhwan-e-Awadh" highlights the importance of the dastarkhwan in Awadhi cuisine from Lucknow, illustrating its cultural significance. The word "dastarkhwan" has Turkic origins, meaning "tablecloth" and is used in many languages across the South-Central Asian region, including Balochi, Bengali, Pashto, Urdu, Sindhi, Hindi, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, and Turkmen.