What Is The Reason? Indian Food Is Similar To Millions Mutinies

One of the first thoughts I made was that it was possible to pinpoint the dish, ingredient or cooking style that is common to all Indians. But, I discovered that khichdi is a popular ingredient in a variety of Indian food styles. It is cooked in different ways by different groups. Khichri Dawud Khani (of Rampuri cuisine) makes use of eggs, meat, and spinach while Khichri-i Gujarati uses garlic, onion and cinnamon, as well as other spices but there is no meat. Khichdi originates from the Sanskrit word khicca, which is a dish of rice and lentils. KT Achaya claims that this dish is called krusaranna in old texts. It's a recipe made from yogurt, rice and sesame seeds. Jahangir was so fond of the spicy khichdi version (enriched by raisins and pistachios) that he gave it the name 'lazeezan' (which translates as 'delicious').

Indian cuisine is marked by diversity and hybridity which is echoes VS Naipaul’s description of India as a land of'million mutinies'.

Another assumption was that our bodies could handle all kinds of diets and foods. However, I have found that there is a strong connection between what we consume and what our forefathers ate. I experimented with my own food habits and discovered that eating the dishes my grandparents would have eaten and following the rhythm of what they ate helped reduce my cholesterol. Scientists have discovered that the food our bodies absorb is influenced by the genetic makeup of our bodies, which, surprisingly, does not seem to have changed for Indians from the Bronze age.

What made you write the "food biographical" of India?

It wasn't my intention to write a food biography of India. This was an experiment. It was an experiment. I wanted to explore food questions without being restricted by any particular discipline. I let my mind wander and ask any question it wanted to, and then looked at the research in different disciplines. I began to think about Indian Cuisine as an interconnected mosaic in which groups, regions, and religion played an important role.

What questions came up repeatedly when you wrote your various sections?

My strategy was to begin by asking questions like "does food have a religious significance? Do you think it's the same approach to food that Muslims and Hindus are taking to food? I was then able find out the theories of doshas and humours found in Ayurveda. I looked into historical, anthropological and even political works to find answers or clarifications. The concept of equilibrium in food, and the balance it creates for the person eating it, kept popping up.

A cookbook about food must include a section about poison. It is a fascinating element.

While food can provide life however, it can also be fatal. I enjoy crime stories that feature Indian food murder and poison are associated. This is true especially of Agatha Christie's novels on poisons and plants. In my research to understand why that was the case, someone mentioned to me about the novel written by John Lancaster, The Debt to Pleasure (1996). The book has an absolutely amazing, yet dangerously undependable, narrator. He's an epicure, who thinks about seasonal dishes, Normandy cuisine, and explores the differences between the two types of murderers. He also masters the art and science of selecting the right mushrooms for certain unmentioned activities.

What are the food-related books that you find yourself turning to?

I am a fan of food memoirs, and enjoy re-reading favorite books like (Pellegrino) Artusi, Anthony Bourdain, Bill Buford and Ruth Reichl. Moti Mahal Cookbook (2009, Monish Gujral) as well as Indian recipes from Doreen Hazan, Balbir Singh and Rukmini Srinivas are my go-to cookbooks. Marcella Hazan is my Italian consultant. Najmieh Batmanglij is the Persian chef. Delia Smith is the global chef.