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Indian food
First published 1994 · 322 pages
A deeply researched, cross-disciplinary feast that traces the rich historical and cultural evolution of Indian cuisine.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like embarking on a meticulous, centuries-spanning archaeological dig through the kitchens and dining halls of the Indian subcontinent. The pace is steady and deliberate, guiding the reader through a rich tapestry of botanical studies, ancient medical texts, and the accounts of bygone travelers. Its tone is scholarly yet deeply appreciative, creating an immersive, culturally rich mood that elevates food from mere sustenance to a profound reflection of history, religion, and social ethos. The prose is dense with etymological insights and anthropological detail, demanding a thoughtful reader. It will thoroughly delight food historians, culinary enthusiasts, and anyone eager to understand the complex, evolving identity of a vast and varied gastronomic tradition.
- Mood
- intellectual
- immersive
- historical
- culturally rich
- Tone
- scholarly
- informative
- analytical
- comprehensive
- respectful
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- culinary evolution · cultural synthesis · historical gastronomy · food as identity · diet and religion
- The writing
- Academic and richly detailed, weaving together cross-disciplinary research, etymological insights, and historical accounts.
- The arc
- A journey from curiosity about a complex cuisine to a profound appreciation of its deep historical and cultural roots.
- Who it's for
- Food historians, culinary enthusiasts, and readers fascinated by the deep cultural and anthropological roots of Indian cuisine.
Content notes
- discussions of meat eating
- discussions of alcohol consumption
About the book
Indian food is often thought of as 'an exotic cuisine'. This Companion outlines the enormous variety of cuisines, food materials and dishes that collectively fall under the term 'Indian food'. The dominant flavour of this gastronomic Companion is historical. It draws upon material from a variety of sources - literature, archaeology, epigraphic records, anthropology, philology, and botanical and genetic studies - which throw up a gamut of interesting facts pertaining to the origins and evolution of Indian food. The first few chapters are arranged chronologically, beginning with prehistoric times and ending with British rule. One chapter is solely devoted to regional cuisines, though these find mention in other chapters as well. The theories and classification of food as codified by ancient Indian doctors (Charaka, Sushrutha, and Bhagvata, c. third to fourth centuries AD), is the subject of one whole chapter. Another, titled, 'Indian Food Ethos', deals with the customs, rituals and beliefs observed by different communities and religious groups. There is, at a number of places, considerable discussion on the etymology of food-words and their interplay with words in other Indian and foreign languages. The accounts of foreign visitors, such as Xuan Zang and Al Biruni, are cited for the food available as well as the food practices of those bygone times. A chapter on the history of meat eating and the consumption of alcoholic beverages, and the gradual shift towards vegetarianism with the advent of Buddhism and Jainism, is equally rich in detail. Sophisticated cooking accoutrements such as the baking oven, liquor distillation unit, and other illuminating facts are presented in a chapter titled 'Utensils and Food Preparation'. In short, this Companion is a rich storehouse of fascinating information on Indian food and everything connected with it.
Description from Open Library.
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