Culinary delights

Published : Jan 11, 2013 00:00 IST

A splendid primer to India's culinary tradition.

LIKE classical music, Indias culinary tradition was formed over centuries. It is doubtful if there is any other country in the world, with as varied a tradition from region to region. The delightful cooking of Kerala is so very different from that in, say, Bengal or Kashmir, which are both equally rich. As with classical music, rulers of Indian states and merchant princes were the prime patrons of the culinary art.

In each case, they fell into three classes: the quiet admirer; the affected one eager to be known as a connoisseur, if not performer; and the genuine one who was both. In this last category, Digvijaya Singh of Sailana stood out.

A delightful and helpful bit in his book Cooking Delights of the Maharajas is this basic recipe for picnickers, trekkers and shikarisheat the oil or ghee and put the meat, after 10 minutes add salt and red chillies; pour water every now and then ensuring that the meat neither fries nor boils. When tender, dry up the water and eat. Weights and measures are advisedly not given as these are not available when stranded. His namesake in Delhi cooks dishes of a different kind, but his son Vikram Singh continues the tradition as his interview to Shonali Muthalaly reveals ( The Hindu, November 24, 2012).

Sailana figures prominently in this feast of a book along with Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mysore, Rampur, Patiala and four other states. It is truly an authentic record of a thousand years of Indias culinary tradition. Besides the original royal recipes, a separate kitchen copy in a folder unfolds secret recipes from the royal kitchens; some never published before.

The trio that collaborated in this enterprise deserves high praise. Neha Prasada, a journalist and closet chef, has written the text. Ashima Narain, an award-winning photographer, has provided the photographs. Priya Kapoor had done the editing and defined the concept. Each of them has excelled in her chosen field. The text, lucidly written, is most informative about each of the regions culinary history shaped by its famous chefs and patrons. Ashima Narains evocative photographs are a feast for the eyes. The entire concept of the work is sound. It is no mere cook book nor history alone. The culinary tradition is blended with history.

Sadly, that rich tradition is largely history today. Honchos of corporations and five-star hotels, whose fare correspondents of most papers never tire of advertising, cannot be expected to keep up the tradition. One instance will suffice. Hyderabads pathar gosht is cooked over a special stone. Both the photograph (K-40) and the recipe in the kitchen copy rightly have escalopes of lamb. But even the best of places in Hyderabad give you thin strips of lamb.

But all is not lost. The tradition will survive in homes, humble restaurants and old hotels. Lovers of good food who excel in good cooking will ensure that. They exist in odd places. The powerful P.N. Haksar, endowed with a lighter touch in the kitchen, would rustle up appetising dishes in a moment. Sir Girja Shankar Bajpai was a good cook. The tradition continues. His son K. Shankar Bajpai, an accomplished diplomat, is also an accomplished cook whose fame in this sphere almost rivals his fame in diplomacy.

This splendid book should serve as a primer to the culinary art. Nothing helps to relax the nerves better than cooking; not even music. The mind cannot be allowed to wander. You have to eat what you have cooked.

Jack Greenberg and James Vorenberg were professors of law and deans of colleges and schools respectively at Columbia and Harvard. They rented a house in a village on the Cote dAzur. They did all the cooking; their wives did all the shopping. The result was their book Dean Cuisine or The Liberated Mans Guide to Fine Cooking (1990). It is a worthy model for Shankar Bajpai to emulate.

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