5 food books that added flavour to the year

The year ends in about five days, and it’s time to take stock of the milestones that made it worthwhile. For culinary enthusiasts, it would include reading on diverse food subjects; from gastronomic travel to food history, and platefuls of chaat. During the year, Lounge reviewed several books and interviewed authors. Here is a selection of five such releases that would be of interest.

Crafting a book on chaats
Prolific food writer Sonal Ved’s book on streets finds, titled India Local, hit shelves in September. It focuses on one of her favourite topics, chaats, and includes street food from different corners of the country. Read the interview with the author here.

Travelling and tasting India
The India-based Scandinavian novelist Zac O’Yeah published the engaging book, Digesting India: A Travel Writer’s Sub-continental Adventures with the Tummy, in July. It is a travel memoir coloured with the author’s food explorations across the country. Read the interview of the author here.

Muslim cuisine and the Indian subcontinent
Forgotten Foods: Memories And Recipes From Muslim South Asia edited by Tarana Husain Khan, Claire Chambers and Siobhan Lambert-Hurley, is a compelling anthology of stories that ties together personal narratives, history and recipes to spotlight the foodways of Muslims in South Asia. The lucid writing in each story bookended with recipes are an added bonus. Read the review of the book here.

Age-old recipes from Kerala

Mrs K.M. Mathew, also known as Annamma Mathew, was a superstar cookbook author from Kerala. She was pivotal in simplifying recipes for easy home-cooking, just as Tarla Dalal. In July, a collection of her much loved dishes was released in the cookbook Mrs K M Mathew’s Finest Recipes. Read the review of the book here. 



For mindful cooking 

Zero waste cooking is an intrinsic part of the Indian kitchen. Author Arina Suchde takes this approach a step further by including scraps and peels in cocktails and dips. It is especially relevant as food waste becomes a global issue in a climate-changed world. Read the review of the book here.