Salt, According to Taste
Cooking, like translating, sits at the liminal intersection between what can be measured and what is driven by instinct.
Personal Essay
‘I was made to feel a different kind of shame’
Breastfeeding has not been an easy experience for Anjana Shekar. From nipples being squeezed by strangers to home remedies to increase milk production, she writes on the challenges of being a new mother.
Drinking Fish, Pinching Crabs
My mother knew where to pinch a crab to unravel its innards.
Rail Gaadi, Rail Gaadi: My Experiences with Railway Food
Having spent much of her childhood on trains, Aarthi Parthasarthy,a self-proclaimed “railway kid”,reflects on her family’s favourite stations for tasty food, her father’s knowledge of the intricate catering system, and j…
A thousand kilometres from Gaya, I learned to love the taste of its baskarel
Baskarel smells strong,sharp, pungent, earthy,when soaked in water. When ground and deep-fried upon mixing with gram flour, it’s crunchy, salty, a little spicy. Priyanka Bhadani reveals her younger self’s loathing,and no…
How I Cooked My Way Through Grief
In the wake of the sudden loss of her father, Mandakini Menon found a grounding force in the act of cooking,and the tactility of working with food.
Call Your Mother
It is in a crisis that the mettle of a society is revealed. Chryselle D’Silva Dias on how food keeps us compassionate and generous.