It's called Phirni. It's a Mughal rice flour pudding flavored with saffron, according to the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide I have with me. This one is decorated with almonds, pistachios and what in the photo looks like a piece of chewing gum wrapper, but is actually edible silver leaf. Out of an excess of caution for the foreign aunts, the waiter told me not to eat it. However I know better. I also checked with the group of 6 Indian guys at the next table, and they happily confirmed this fact. I seem to know a lot of things Indian without realizing why. I think it's the family relationship between Australia and India, and the fact that British people who must have lived in India during the Raj, came later to Australia. It's not just chutneys, bungalows and mulligatawny. I immediately recognized the light filtering stone jaali screens in the Islamic tombs here. In my home state of Queensland, the classic wood and corrugated iron "Queenslander" house often has "jealousies," intricate wooden privacy screens decorating both sides of the front door to the verandah. And of course, where did the word "verandah" originate? So many Hindi loan words incorporated now into English. Silver leaf like this decorates special Australian/English desserts, especially at Christmas. I love discovering things like this. That's why I travel so much.
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