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WASHINGTON — In the history of U.S.-India relations, there has been plenty of broken bread and even a few crumbled Triscuits.

American presidents have entertained India’s leaders over fine wine and even finer food for the past 60 years — at grand White House dinners with hundreds of guests in black tie, at an intimate Sunday lunch and away from Washington’s prying eyes near a storied Civil War battlefield.

At his first White House state dinner tonight, President Barack Obama will put his stamp on the tradition the White House uses to honor foreign leaders.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is coming for a state visit and all that it entails — a pomp-filled welcome ceremony on the South Lawn, private time with Obama, a joint news conference and, in the evening, the state dinner, to be held outside for 320 people.

First lady Michelle Obama’s staff, which has planned what could be Washington’s hottest social event since the inauguration, has kept a tight lid on the details. But some elements, like the huge white tent going up on the South Lawn, couldn’t remain secret for long. That alone means hundreds more people will be attending than if dinner had been scheduled in the State Dining Room, which seats a maximum of 140 guests.

The basic White House dinner has been tweaked over the years to suit guests, invited and uninvited. A driving rain drove President John Kennedy’s guests to the East Room, scuttling months of planning for Mozart on the South Lawn for Indian President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

With nearly 700 guests in a tent on the lawn, the India state dinner was one of the largest such events of Bill Clinton’s presidency. George W. Bush’s dinner in 2005 was notable because he held so few overall.