Satrangi Dastarkhwan

Hunger is one of the most primal desires, a deep need of the mind and body. This book honors that desire and explores how and why food culture evolved regionally and culturally alongside the development of civilization. Today, scientists, historians, and culinary experts are beginning to illuminate the stories of civilizations and cultures through food. This essential documentation has revealed so many dynamics of food that it is astonishing. This Satrangi Dastarkhwan is a testament to that wonder. Drawing from memories of history, heritage, regional influences, and mixed cultures from remote corners of India, this book tells the story of the popular bread of Goa and, on the other hand, the story of a unique chef from Calcutta. Here, the story of Bengali sweets like Sandesh transforms from a family history to a contemporary social story. It also documents how, from Amritsar to England and from Assam to Chennai, our artists and writers are nurtured and nourished by our food. Then, when langar becomes a voice of resistance in the twenty-first century, and simple dal-rice begins to comment on its times, the archival significance of food can be fully understood and appreciated. This book, filled with multifaceted flavors, also tells the story of the beating hearts of artists, writers, and activists, under the guise of a biography of food, with whom we, as wondrous travelers, explore our country. An exceptionally readable book.