AUGUST 2019 83
“I didn’t like eating achar when I
was a kid, but now I like it a lot.
The red peppers in pimiento
cheese reminded me of the
peppers in my mom’s achar,
so I decided to put the two
together. I want my food to
bring people together and
create an opportunity to
start the conversation.”
- FARHAN MOMIN –
Achari Pimiento
Cheese Spread p. 87“People think they don’t
understand Indian food,” says
Maneet Chauhan. “But there’s so
much commonality. In the end,
both cuisines are about cooking
from the soul.” Below, a few
surprising overlaps between the
regions’ cuisines.OKRA
Vishwesh Bhatt grew up on okra
and beans in Gujarat and was
thrilled to find his Southern
neighbors loved them, too. “These
were things I knew–it helped
connect me to the South.”SWEET TEA
The South’s signature drink,
sweet tea, exists because black
tea (grown on British-owned
plantations in India) and sugar
came to port cities like Charleston
and Savannah via ships from
India and the East.TANGY, SWEET, HOT
“Vindaloo has vinegar, sugar,
spice, and bitterness,” says Asha
Gomez. She found herself
gravitating toward barbecue
sauce, which shares the same
flavor profile.Ingredients
with a