In April 1648 Emperor Shah Jahan entered his new capital, Shahjahanabad, moving the court from Agra. His army camped in two tent cities, one on the plains by the Red Fort and one across the Yamuna. Within days, soldiers, officials and residents fell ill with stomach trouble. The royal physician Hakim Ali and the senior hakims and vaids found the cause: poor Yamuna water. Their cure was chaat made with strong spices, and it worked.
So next time you eat spicy chaat, remember two people: Emperor Shah Jahan, who brought it to Delhi, and the Indologist who told you why.
