Smell now and also eat your perfume

For more than two millennia, Kannaauj in Uttar Pradesh has distilled flowers, roots and even earth in perfumes that travel across the rich travel – from the Guptas to the mughals. Today, an eighth-generation of Perfumer and chef is re-enforcing the legacy of Kannaauj-not for a scale, but for the dining room table. Early in September, Perfumer and Chef Pranav Kapoor brought centuries of perfume expertise to a pop-up in Delhi and offered 30 guests to ‘eat’ a perfume. Rose, Vetiver, sandalwood, Petrichor and Jasmyn – Each note was translated into cocktails and dishes that fade the line between smell and taste. The exciting experience was the result of years of careful experimentation, starting with a flavor-led cocktail-pop-ups at Summer House and Sly Granny in Delhi in 2016. Kapoor spent almost his entire life in Kannaauj and learned how Attar dealt with memory and scent. Each cocktail and course are carefully calibrated to reflect the upper, middle and base notes of a flavor, designed to remain not only on the palate but also in memory. “You can’t taste if you can’t smell,” he says. This is a lesson he recorded while grew up in Kannaauj. The ancient perfume capital formed its odor and culinary feelings, where mornings begin with the steam of rose distillation, the shifting perfume in the air, and buried earthen bottles of Mitti Attar underground. The perfume industry here is mentioned in the works of Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang, as well as Banabhatta, the 7th-century poet in the court of Harshavardhana, who documented the production of Sandalwood and Rose. Kapoor’s family has been part of the perfume -making tradition since the early 19th century. Perfumer and chef Pranav Kapoor at the pop-up. At the boarding school in Musselie, Kapoor first encountered smells as opposed to Kannaauj – fish and coconut oil, taking into account his head of Kerala. “I’ve never smelled anything like that before,” he says. He even guarded his pillow, which carries the familiar scent of his hair and his mother, because it reminds him of the house. “If your sense of smell is strong, your food picks up in a much more intense way,” he says. It was this sensory education that made the transition to the culinary space almost inevitable. At Ihm Aurangabad, he realizes how surprisingly similar perfumeria and kitchen were. ‘Balancing a formulation of Attar was like balancing a dish – spices, aromas and ingredients. The light bulb moment struck me: smell and taste are inherent, ‘he adds. “If you can’t smell, you can’t taste. I first taste food through my nose. ‘ Braaied beet applied with the smell of jasmine. Earlier this month, Kapoor worked at home – one of Delhi’s popular bars – with the chefs Yutaka Saito and Subhashis Lenka, and bartender Santanu Chanda, to make an evening where the scent determined the journey. The menu revolves around notes such as rose, sandalwood, vetiver, mitti and jasmine, each translated into cocktails and dishes. “First of all, I create the scent,” Kapoor explains. “Let’s say I choose five core ingredients – not just to distill rose or jasmine – but construct a scent with, for example, pepper, cumin and lime notes,” he adds. “The same flavor is then expressed in a drink and in food. But when we eat, we don’t eat perfume. We break down the ingredients. This is where creativity comes in. ‘ For Mitti, the team produced a Petrichor Martini and applied a Mitti spray in the drink and even overnight olives in Petrichor-infused vodka or gin. The accompanying meal contains truffle pumpkins croquettes served on a “mud” basis – which is dried and crushed to mimic soil – with the mushrooms’ umami and earthly scents smoked with Petrichor. ‘Take fragrant ingredients, say spices and herbs and deconstruct it over drinks and food. For sandalwood, we made miso-glazed eggplant, burnt asparagus and edamame with a sandalwood applied by sandalwood by smoking sandalwood chips and the oil. ‘ In the Vetiver course, the scent appears in a smoked artichoke and the green pea nimona tartlet. “Every note in the strip of paper reflects what you taste,” he points out. With most essential oils concentrated, Kapoor is careful not to overwhelm dinners. The balance, he adds, is at the heart of both perfume and kitchen: a touch of spices or woody base notes – each element calibrated to supplement the star ingredient. “Every ingredient is treated like a protagonist in both flavor and dish, with supportive notes that are carefully layered to maintain harmony,” he explains. Sandalwood cocktail. Traditional steam distillation of Kannaauj inspires his kitchen smoke roots, oils and creates edible extracts. A key technique is to use DUM: To seal copper or steel barrels with multani mitti and cotton, and add water to build pressure. The same principle of sealing and slow cooking is used to make Biryani. Food, he admits, claims more effort than drinks. “It is not challenging in a negative sense; I get a kick out of it, but it takes time. Low must be thoughtfully built. Some ingredients are more powerful than others. After a few courses or a few strips, the palate or nose can be overwhelmed. ‘ Therefore, pace, layering and sequence is crucial. “Jasmine is reserved for the end because the lush, diffusing character can overwhelm if introduced too early. Succession makes lighter notes like roses and sandalwood shine first, and build complexity gradually,” Kapoor explains. When asked if there is a note that he still has to use in his pop-ups, Kapoor smiles: “Old. It’s strong, sharp and animal. This experience is already new to Diners; I can’t overwhelm them yet.” His exploration of scent does not end at the pop-up. Kapoor offers a unique multisensorial experience at his 120-year-old ancestral Haveli in Kannauj. Guests stay in renovated suites, explore a gurg gallery and visit the perfume bar. The journey begins on the flower farm, continuing to distillery-where Deghbaz, or experts in dealing with brass stills who have 80-90 kg of flowers, fragrant water in the steam infuse and culminating in a flavor-and-flavor-focused menu with gender recipes. “Like a plum and beet currican that my grandmother used. Of course, there is my interpretation of it, where I do a slightly dryer version served on top of a mini -naan with fresh cream cheese, mint and basil, ‘he shares. His vision is further with the Indian Institute of Fragrance and Flavor, which will be opened in Kannauj in 2026. The Institute celebrates the culinary heritage of India and offers short residences of one to three weeks that combine flavor, antique food roads and creative experimentation. Kapoor’s ambitions also contain the Crystal Bar, a scent-and-clap-pairing concept that opened in his hometown in November. “We build cocktails as our scents would create, with a fusion of flavor and palate.” Nights like those at home indicate the future: Guests remain sitting, talking and scents remain long after plates are cleaned – a lasting impression of memory and aroma. Geetika Sachdev is a Delhi-based lifestyle journalist.