Nala Maharaja in his bad
days took refuge in the palace of Rituparna.changing his name as Bahuka. He said that could take care of horses and become a charioteer. He also said that he was an expert cook.
Here is the relevant
portion from Mahabharata Vanaparva Nalopakhyana
अश्वानां वाहने युक्त:
पृथिव्यां नास्ति मत्सम:/
अन्नसंस्कारमपि च जानाम्यन्यैर्विशेषत: //
Rituparna appointed him.
Nala knew the best way of cooking and it
was called Nalapaka.
He was a Maharaja. So in North India, a cook is called Maharaja
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P.K.Ramakrishnan
http://peekayar.blogspot.com | 
