Bengaluru: For generations, the lavish banana-leaf meal at Bengaluru weddings — with mouth-watering sweets, curries, palyas, rasam and sambar — was a defining ritual. But the LPG shortage marred the elaborate feasting this wedding season, forcing caterers to shrink menus, alter traditional recipes and, in some cases, even decline new bookings as securing gas cylinders have become harder.“We are suffering because of the gas shortage. Weddings are already booked and we have to supply food somehow,” said MK Varadarajan of MK Varadarajan Brothers Caterers. “Normally, we prepare about 18-20 items for a wedding meal. Now we reduced at least five items. We are also reducing gravies in dishes like rasam and sambar and going for sweets that take less cooking time. The idea is to make items that can be cooked in one batch and use less gas. We are managing for now, but it is becoming difficult,” he said.S Manikandan, proprietor of Sri Lakshmi Caterers, said his team decided to cater only to those events that were already confirmed earlier. “Most marriage halls expect caterers to arrange their own gas cylinders. That is not possible right now. We are trying to manage with what we have,” he said.He added the crisis is affecting the preparation of traditional dishes. “Items like holige require time and steady cooking. With limited gas, we cannot prepare everything we usually do.”Wedding catering costs in the city typically range between Rs 150 and Rs 300 per plate. Caterers said the LPG shortage is threatening their ability to maintain both quantity and quality. However, there are no major changes in wedding bookings so far. Annath Kumar, committee member of the Karnataka Marriage Halls Welfare Association, said: “If caterers want to use firewood cooking in certain cases, we are allowing that. We are trying to support them however possible.” Customers too are beginning to notice the changes. Megha Srinivasan, whose cousin’s wedding is scheduled to take place in Basavanagudi, said: “For our family wedding next week, the caterer told us the menu might be slightly smaller than originally planned. They said the LPG shortage is affecting their kitchen. We understand the situation. The items on the menu have been brought down from 20 to 15.”With wedding season set to last a few more weeks, caterers said they are hoping the LPG supply situation stabilises soon.
