When all of Indian food is obsessed with digestion, why are only Bengalis the butt of jokes?

Over centuries, domestic kitchens across the nation have evolved to follow one Ayurvedic stipulation – food must not only be delicious but also digestible.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· May 15, 2019 · 11:30 am

As Pondicherry’s Creole food fades from restaurants, a Kannadiga home chef has become its evangelist

In Motchamary Pushpam’s kitchen, it’s easy to see the diverse influences – French, Tamil, Portuguese, Dutch and Mughal – that shaped the region’s cusine.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Apr 03, 2019 · 11:30 am

From Thandai to Puran Poli: Every Holi treat has a colourful story behind it

While some dishes speak of the festival’s Puranic associations, others remind us of its agrarian roots.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Mar 21, 2019 · 10:30 am

Why do so many Indians eat cold, stale food at the start of spring?

In several cultures, there’s a tradition of feasting on day-old dishes during seasonal transitions to cool the body and fortify the immune system.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Mar 16, 2019 · 11:30 am

Cooking with leaves: How every Indian state adapted the age-old culinary technique to suit its taste

From sal to screw pine to sugar palm, Indians use a mind-boggling variety of leaves to cook their food in.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Feb 26, 2019 · 11:30 am

Why Kolkata is lamenting the end of a meat shop started by a Hungarian trapeze artist in the 1940s

Kalman Cold Storage, which embodied the city’s secular ethos, shuttered this month.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Jan 21, 2019 · 11:30 am

A German married to a Bengali has won a major award for her food blog that combines the two cuisines

Beatrix Basu’s blog ‘Cooking for Elephants’ is a melting pot of flavours and culinary influences.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Dec 13, 2018 · 11:30 am

From Shahi Tukda to Dahi Toast: How Indians desi-fied humble white bread

Across the country, bread is used imaginatively and prolifically to drum up a range of quintessentially desi treats, some of them iconic.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Nov 15, 2018 · 11:30 am

Porkaholics, Pork Lovers and Porkaddicts: A peek into a growing culinary subculture in India

Online communities are bringing together Indians who have two things in common: an unflinching love for pork and the hope to wed it to more regional cuisines.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Aug 22, 2018 · 11:30 am

Why the sandesh is the perfect representation of cultural reforms in 19th-century Calcutta

Photos of sweet shop owners in Amit Chaudhuri’s new exhibition remind us of the connection between the Bengali confectioner and the Bengali Renaissance.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Aug 16, 2018 · 11:30 am

From night jasmine to banana blossoms: India’s centuries-old love affair with edible flowers

Indians had discovered the scrumptious secrets of edible flowers long before American hipsters.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Jul 13, 2018 · 12:03 pm

From Bengal to Gujarat, this is what Indians eat and drink to beat the oppressive summer heat

Sharbats, fermented broths and light, seasonal fruits and vegetables make for delicious dishes that also protect against the heat.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee

· Apr 19, 2018 · 11:30 am