a memoir of the foods of India
I have always enjoyed books that mix storytelling with delicious recipes. Food Sutra – a memoir of the foods of India is one of those books. Don’t get me wrong, it is not a “recipe book” in the typical sense; although you will learn about many dishes and ingredients.
Indian food for decades
I have relished Indian food for decades without ever paying much attention to which region the different dishes originated, the time of year they are eaten or the reason why certain spices are used over others. This book gives insight on all of this.
fantastic journey
In Food Sutra, Shalabh Prasad takes us on a fantastic journey to different parts of India and describes such dishes as Chicken Manchurian and Champaran Mutton Curry in a way that leaves you knowing a bit more about Indian history; and how to prepare the tasty dishes we know and some we have yet to discover.
his home state of Bihar
Although the author currently lives in the UK, he grew up in India. He takes us to his home state of Bihar in the north-east of the country and gives us a glimpse of what preparing a meal in an Indian household may have been like and may still be like in certain parts.
Describing a trip to the butcher with one of his parents, Prasad writes, “Buying fresh meat was an interesting experience as a child. We would select our portions from the carcasses hung in the shop and there was never any doubt that these were recently butchered animals.” This may be too much for the faint of heart but as meat eaters, we should know where our food comes from.
papri chaat
In the section on Uttar Pradesh food he deconstructs chaat, listing the main ingredients and how they work into chaat. Chaat, meaning lick in Hindi, are small dishes sold by street hawkers and smaller eateries. A favourite of ours , Papri Chaat is made with crisp fried flatbread layered with boiled potatoes and chickpeas, spiced with chaat masala. Topped with yogourt, more chaat masala and then chutney.
From the descriptions to the many colourful and mouthwatering photos, this book is a refreshing change of pace from the typical food/travel books on the market.
If you love food and travel I suggest you give Food Sutra a read through. It’s a very interesting book and sure to teach and entertain.
This book sounds incredible — I love how it combines culture, storytelling, and food into one journey. Indian cuisine is such a rich experience of flavors and traditions. On a totally different note, whenever I want something quick and tasty here, I often go for the popeyes fish sandwich. Not quite as adventurous, but still one of my comfort picks.
This is a great discussion on food security and the different factors that affect what we eat and why. I especially appreciate your point about how access, education, and cultural practices all intersect.
One thing I’ve been exploring on my own sites is how food habits and preparation methods — including concepts like food combining — can influence both health and long-term food choices. I wrote about this in a recent article here: