56 february 2020
Reader’s Digest
oil; most popular souring and sweete-
ning agents. Using these ‘filters’, we will
discover that the food footprint of any
state extends to the adjacent districts of
its neighbouring state.
While it may appear that food rein-
forces separate identities, at times lead-
ing to discord, a closer look reveals that
the strength of our socio-cultural fab-
ric is strengthened by the diversity of
threads with which this rich tapestry is
woven. Saffron from Kashmir is used to
prepare kesari bath deep down south,
and aromatic spices from Kerala—pep-
percorns, cardamom and cloves make
the food redolent in other distant
kitchens. Tandoori delicacies have
proliferated in post-Partition India, are
now popular in almost every state. The
same is true of the south Indian dosai,
idli, vada, sambar and rasam. Mention
‘sweets’ and the prefix ‘Bengali’ springs
to mind immediately. There are other
geographical indicators: Bikaneri bhu-
jiya, Hyderabadi biryani, Awadhi gila-
wat kebab, Benarasi paan—the list is
endless. Fusion has taken place effort-
lessly to create paneer dosa, paneer
dhokla sandwich and tandoori momo.
It’s fascinating that Indian food is
an integral part of the shared iden-
tity of different communities that add
up to more than 1.35 billion people.Microscopic segments like Parsis,
Bohras, Sindhis and Anglo-Indians
have lovingly preserved their foods
and culinary traditions for centuries,
through vicissitudes. There are others
like itinerant-migrant Marwadis, settled
in different parts of India, who have
influenced the eating habits of locals.
There are also many myths that need
to be dispensed with. Not all Brahmins
and Vaisyas in India are vegetarians—
recall Kashmiri Pandits, Maithil and
Saraswat Brahmins and the descen-
dents of Chetttinad merchant princes.
Within a small state like Kerala, half a
dozen culinary streams coexist happily
without muddying the waters.
What we are witnessing currently
is a revival of interest, particularly
among the youth, in our roots. This,
at times, expresses itself as parochial
prejudice and misplaced ethnic pride.
We should, perhaps, begin to turn our
gaze to branches that reach out in dif-
ferent directions from the trunk of the
grand banyan tree to strike out roots
elsewhere; extending the area of the
canopy that provides shelter and shade.The author is a former professor at the
Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has
spent the last two decades documen-
ting the rich diversity of Indian cuisine.OUR EMINENT JURY PANEL:Food historians: Colleen Taylor Sen, Pushpesh Pant,
Salma Husain and Pritha Sen. Restaurateurs and chefs: Manish Mehrotra, Manu
Chandra, Zorawar Kalra, Mariyam Kachwala, Regi Mathew, Saby Gorai, Shaun Ken-
worthy, Thomas Zacharias and Anahita Dhondy. Food writers and critics: Rahul
Verma, Prima Kurien, Hoihnu Hauzel and Pawan Soni. previousspread:^ alamy,^ allotherphotos:^ shutterstock^ &alamy