On May 24 and 25, The Bombay Canteen is celebrating Bakri Eid with a Nose-to-Tail Feast that highlights the resourcefulness and layered history of communal eating in South Asia, especially among Muslim communities. Rooted in the philosophy of mindful cooking and whole-animal eating, the menu revisits culinary traditions long found in Indian homes, Muslim festive kitchens, and rural food cultures, where no part of an animal goes to waste, and every part is used mindfully.

Eid ul-Adha, also known as Eid-uz-Zoha across South Asia, was once so deeply embedded in India’s vernacular culture that the festival became known as ‘Bakri Eid’ — a name that is distinctly, almost affectionately, Indian in its simplicity. While Arab-speaking Muslims call it the ‘Feast of Sacrifice’, Indian Muslims renamed the festival after the ‘Bakri’, meaning ‘goat’ in Hindi and Urdu, the animal most commonly slaughtered in India. The festival commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son at God’s command — a story shared across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (the Abrahamic religions named after him) — and is observed on the tenth day of Dhul Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar. One-third of the slaughtered animal is kept by the family, one-third is shared with relatives and neighbours, and one-third is given to the poor. This communal nature fostered a culture of shared feasts around the festival.

In India, beginning with the arrival of Islam in the 7th century CE, the festival absorbed and was absorbed into regional footways, shaped by local ingredients, and the extraordinary diversity of Muslim communities that took root across the country from Deccan to Bengal. During the Mughal period, the Mughal emperors transformed Bakri Eid into an occasion of extraordinary public theatre and culinary performance. According to court chronicles such as the Ain-i-Akbari of Abul Fazl, written during the reign of Emperor Akbar, the imperial dastarkhwan, or cloth spread on the floor upon which food was served, could stretch across entire courts on Eid days.

What makes Bakri Eid feasts fascinating in India is how dramatically they diverge by region, community, and local availability. In Hyderabad and the Deccan, the Nizams elevated the feast with dum biryani, haleem — slow-cooked for hours and garnished with birista (fried onions), lime, and julienned ginger — and marag, a bone broth seasoned with whole spices. In Lucknow and Awadh, the feast became as much about tehzeeb or etiquette as it was about the food. In Kashmir, the feast gave rise to the wazwan culture of elaborate shared tables and dishes such as rogan josh, tabak maaz, gustaba, and rista. In Bengal, Bakri Eid cuisine developed its own character, influenced by the regional preference for mustard oil, subtle spicing, and the addition of fish alongside the sacrificial meat. In Malabar and Kerala, the Mappila Muslim community’s pathiri — or rice-flour flatbread — erachi curry, and Thalassery biryani, rooted in pre-Mughal Arab connections, represent an entirely different tradition from that of North India.

As Bakri Eid comes under increasing scrutiny, and animal sacrifice and open slaughter become more restricted across India in recent years, The Bombay Canteen’s Nose-to-Tail Feast reminds us of the beauty of meals shared with friends, family, and community. Rooted in the idea of reimagining familiar ingredients and traditional community-feast dishes, The Bombay Canteen’s Nose-to-Tail Feast transforms lesser-used cuts into inventive, regionally inspired plates made for sharing.

The menu balances comfort and surprise with dishes like Smoked Tongue with buckwheat papdi and poached lobster, Bheja Pakoda topped with Ocietra caviar, Bone Cappuccino with sour almond foam, Gurda Kaleji Tingmo, and a Rib Chop Puff inspired by Kolhapuri pandhra and tambda rassa. Larger plates include Raan Mussalam with masala quail eggs and smoked cashew curry, Neck Champaran finished with confit garlic, and Kofta Pulao with crispy tripe, accompanied by Mini Paya Kulcha, Sattu Kachori, and seasonal sides. Khajoor Halwa Treacle Tart with goat cheese ice cream and Goat Milk Caramel Truffle continue the feast’s spirit of culinary reinvention.

The cocktail programme mirrors the same ethos, featuring concoctions like the savoury Rear View with Patron Silver tequila and black garlic, the rich Goat’s Milk Flip with Lost & Found Spiced Rum, the herbaceous Fresca Highball with Stranger & Sons gin, and the Brown Butter Rob Roy with Dewar’s 12-Year-Old Scotch Whisky. While you won’t find any of these at a traditional Bakri Eid table, the cocktails complement the tasting menu.

The Bombay Canteen’s Nose-to-Tail Feast reflects a broader conversation about sustainability, mindful consumption, and the cultural histories embedded in food traditions that have long valued using every part of an ingredient. In revisiting these practices through the lens of contemporary restaurant dining, The Bombay Canteen’s Bakri Eid offering becomes both a celebration and an homage to the spirit of sharing.

The Nose-to-Tail Feast will be available exclusively for dinner on 24 and 25 May from 8 PM onwards, priced at ₹6,500 plus taxes per person. Reservations can be made on District or by calling +91 8880802424.

Address: The Bombay Canteen, Unit-1, Process House, S.B. Road, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013

Follow @thebombaycanteen on Instagram.

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