MTR Karunadu Swada Returns to Celebrate Karnataka's Culinary and Cultural Heritage

Bengaluru—The latest iteration of MTR Karunadu Swada, the food company's signature annual celebration, opened on April 24th, 2026 at Jayamahal Palace. Shri Maheshwar Rao M, I.A.S., Chief Commissioner GBA and Administrator of All Bengaluru City Corporations, formally inaugurated the event, which aims to bring together food lovers, cultural enthusiasts, and culinary professionals to engage with the richness and variety of Karnataka's gastronomic traditions.

This year's festival operates under the umbrella theme of "the story before the recipe," with a particular focus on the indigenous ingredients that define Karnataka's food culture. The opening programme took attendees on a culinary exploration across six distinct regions: Uttara Karnataka, Kalyana Karnataka, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Hale Mysuru. The festival presentation encompasses more than 75 dishes, functioning as a comprehensive culinary record that pairs time-honoured favourites with rare and nearly-vanished regional recipes.

Working in collaboration with home-cooks alongside MTR's in-house culinary team, the festival emphasizes hyper-local and seasonal produce, prioritizing the genuine character, environmental responsibility, and distinct regional identity inherent in Karnataka cuisine. A notable element of the programming is the framework of "One Region. One Unique Ingredient. One Forgotten Recipe.," whereby each region additionally presents a conventional warm-weather beverage grounded in traditional practices and climate-adapted eating patterns.

The occasion also marked the unveiling of MTR's coffee table book, now in its second edition, titled "The story before the recipe." This publication documents the ingredients cultivated across Karnataka's six regions and their influence on the state's culinary evolution. Musician Vasu Dixit contributed a cultural dimension to the proceedings by performing a specially composed song dedicated to Sambar, presented as a live premiere at the venue. The musical piece serves as a celebration of Sambar's role in daily life, emphasizing the comfort, emotional connection, and communal bonds the dish represents, positioning it as an emblem of collective experience and connection.

According to Sunay Bhasin, CEO of MTR: "Throughout its hundred-year history, MTR has maintained a deep connection to Karnataka's food traditions, remaining committed to upholding the genuineness of regional cooking practices. MTR Karunadu Swada has evolved into an annual highlight for food aficionados, functioning as a venue for honouring Karnataka's local produce, breathing new life into overlooked recipes, and showcasing the state's culinary range while drawing communities nearer to their regional food heritage."

The festival extends beyond cuisine to encompass a dynamic programme of folk and classical artistic performances that capture the essence of Karnataka through music, dance, and visual arts, creating an all-encompassing cultural immersion.

Organisers anticipate strong attendance, projecting more than 3,000 visitors across the festival's remaining days, reinforcing its standing as a major cultural and culinary destination in Bengaluru.