This book is an ambitious and insightful project which answers many interesting  questions. Through a series of fascinating essays-delving into geography, history, myth, sociology, film, literature and personal experience-Shylashri Shankar traces the myriad patterns that have formed Indian food cultures, taste preferences and cooking traditions. From Dalit 'haldiya dal' to the last meal of the Buddha; from aphrodisiacs listed in the Kama Sutra to sacred foods offered to gods and prophets; from the use of food as a means of state control in contemporary India to the role of lemonade in stoking rebellion in 19th-century Bengal; from the connection between death and feasting and between fasting and pleasure, this book offers a layered and revealing portrait of India, as a society and a nation, through its enduring relationship with food.

Format: Softcover

Pages: 334

Year: 2020

ISBN:  978-9389958126