‘Nothing ever grows in Vagamon’
At Little Flower Farms, a lush biodiverse site in Kerala, they serve guests fresh produce from their garden. They speak to The Locavore of windy Vagamon, the flavours in their kitchen, and the land they nurture.
‘To me, the kitchen inspires conversations and confidence’
Eking out an income since she turned 90 has given Harbhajan Kaur, the entrepreneur of Harbhajan's,Bachpan Yaad Aajaye, joy and satisfaction.
The Shifting Heart of Manipur’s Iconic Ima Market
Ammo Angom writes about the vanishing markets sprouting at Ima Market’s margins.
Dried Fish: Going Beyond Smell
While India has a rich and diverse culture around cooking dried fish, it hasn’t been celebrated owing to its fraught histories, matters of identity, and smells. Shruti Tharayil writes on challenging old hierarchies of sm…
Of Seed Banks and Stories of Revival
Reviving native seeds in India is an uphill task. But recognising the importance of preserving indigenous knowledge, OOO Farms works closely with local communities in Gujarat and Maharashtra to return heirloom seeds to t…
‘Being a father transformed my relationship to food and cooking’
Moving across continents makes everyday practices such as cooking and feeding much more self-conscious, Krishnendu Ray tells us. A renowned food studies scholar, Ray talks to us about his changed perception of cooking, p…
It’s Best Made Hot: PÅ«rvīṇa’s Take on Coconut Oil
Although making hot-processed coconut oil is challenging, Purvina’s team is passionate about preserving Kerala’s traditional oil-making techniques. Catch a glimpse of their oil-making process, stunning uruli, and farm in…
‘Fermentation allows me to slow down, and pay attention to the smallest of details’
Stepping outside the framework of food as celebration alone, Dr. Dolly Kikon looks at culinary cultures through the lens of struggle, community, and hope. Tansha Vohra speaks to the anthropologist about fermentation, res…
Can a School Kitchen Also Be a Place of Learning?
In a school in rural Maharashtra that is rooted in the philosophy of open education, food is seen not just as a way of offering nutrition, but also as a means to building equity and breaking barriers.
What Makes a Potluck Tick?
Recalling a potluck in Suratgarh for which she took a dabba of hot thenkuzhal, Meera Ganapathi contemplates the unspoken rules of a potluck, and the essence of what makes one stand out.
An Excerpt from Spiced, Smoked, Pickled, Preserved: Recipes and Reminiscences From India’s Eastern Hills
In the opening chapter of the book, author Indranee Ghosh writes about her grandfather’s culinary adventures in Cherrapunji, where he had just moved to work as a preacher for the Brahmo Samaj.
Sri Vamsi Matta’s ‘Come Eat With Me’: Or, To Be Dalit and Eat
For theatre artist Sri Vamsi Matta, cooking as an act of remembering, as performance, and as a communal experience, are ways of asserting his identity and defying everyday injustices.