‘Old wives’ tales’ about food: Why do we follow these superstitions?
Many moons ago, in my late twenties, I visited a dietician to lose weight. Everyone at the PR agency...
Writer: Rajyasree Sen
What ties the Parsi patrani macchi to the Bengali paturi?
Every cuisine has a signature dish that defines it. In Sindhi food, it would be kadhi; Rajma — often...
Why are chefs and home cooks so cagey about their recipes?
Decades ago, while accompanying my grandmother — an excellent cook — to various homes, I remember he...
Making the most of a desert: From ker sangri to dal baati churma and junglee maas, exploring Rajasthani delicacies
I first got acquainted with Rajasthani food at a close Marwari friend’s home in Calcutta during our ...
East or west, which Bengali cuisine is the best?
Bangladesh has been on everyone’s minds and news feeds recently, especially with the iconic image of...
Chapatis to barfis, the foods that played a role in India’s Independence movement
Come Independence Day, you’ll see numerous articles on the freedom struggle and the various aspects ...
Of Nahoum’s, Kolkata’s oldest Jewish bakery, difference between puff and patty, and a chicken patty recipe
Last week, many newspapers, in their City pages, reported how Nahoum and Sons — Kolkata’s 123-year-o...
From mythology to cuisine, cultural and culinary journey of coconuts in India
Indian nuts, as big as melons and gourds,” is how Italian missionary and traveller John of Montecorv...
How India added a little (starter) culture to the world of dairy and created curd
It’s difficult to avoid yoghurt or as we call it in India, curd, in this country. It’s one of the pr...
Mind your temper(ing): demystifying tadka, a very common cooking procedure
This is a departure from my usual columns because it’s not about history or exotic or little-known f...
Pachadi: Relish this South Indian pickle that has been around for over 1,500 years
If there’s one cuisine that unites Indians across the world, give or take an outlier or two, it’s wh...
From taboo to tradition, how paneer found a place in Indian cuisine
The one ingredient cutting across regions that people, especially vegetarians, are certain to be abl...