First Food : A Taste of India’s Biodiversity

Contents: 1. Breakfast and snacks. 2. Meals. 3. Chutneys and pickles. 4. Beverages. 5. Sweets. 6. About the plants. 7. Traditions. References. Index.

Biodiversity along with gastronomical artifacts, serves as a marker for human relationships. Meals are about festivities, rituals, fertility and prosperity. They are also about therapy and everyday life. This collection of around 100 recipes from different parts of the country brings to life the magic that takes place once biodiversity is combined with culinary dexterity. We travel to tribal pockets of India. We join farmers working the alluvial soil, renewed every year with the silt deposited by flooding rivers, and lick our fingers after a sumptuous meal made from fruits and pods in areas where soils are known to be poor. We sit besides bonfires relishing sweets made from coarse grains and enjoy the winter sun crunching savouries made from nuts and seeds. The summer seems much less harsh with a cool squash of flowers plucked in the hills. Herbs, spices, fruits and leaves make for a lip smacking platter.

While taking us on this gastronomical journey this book reminds us that all is not well with the biodiversity and our kitchens are no longer as rich as they once were. It also tells that biodiversity is best protected if it is celebrated in our kitchens.