Title: The Great Indian Tiffin Box
Author & Illustrator: Swarnavo Datta
Publisher: India Penguin
Type: Paperback
Length: 192 pages
Age group: 13 years onwards (YA and grown ups definitely!)
The first memories, after you read the title and see the cheerful illustrations on this delightful book are, “Was my tiffin box as great as this?”
Probably not.
Not in school. Office maybe, though everything was a rush hour.
And that’s what makes this book so special. It hits the soft spot, tingles not just the taste buds, but all those grandmother recipes and memories come rushing back. Those kitchens with chimneys and a lot of cooking even done outdoors in chullahs. There was no such thing as shortage – because there was no gas!
Swarnavo Datta, clearly a foodie and diligent, patient researcher has a style with both pen and paper. He writes evocatively, and his cheerful lifelike illustrations compliment his storytelling skills.
The book takes you on a great culinary journey, across the length and breadth of our country. So you start with A – Arunachal Pradesh and end at, well not Z, but P – Pondicherry. The book is thoughtfully sectioned, covering alphabetically, states from Arunachal to UP, and then the Union Territories from Jammu & Kashmir to Pondicherry.
Readers will identify with their favourite preparations and their own homemade magical recipes. The more well-travelled you are, the more you will enjoy this book.
Because in India, there’s a twist everywhere. Omelette isn’t always Omelette. It’s Ros Omlette in Goa! (an omelette served with thick, spicy, chicken gravy). Kadhi isn’t always kadhi. It’s Solkadhi in Goa (pink in colour, it’s made from kokum and coconut milk). Rice isn’t rice in Karnataka. It’s Lemon Rice (turmeric gives it the yellow colour and lemon gives it the tanginess). Even the humble idli isn’t idli anymore. It’s Thatte Idli (larger sized idli, resembling a flat pancake). Chai isn’t chai – in Jharkhand it’s chawal ki chai (unique hot beverage made with hot water, rice, jaggery).
All these bragging rights are yours, thanks to Swarnavo Datta’s perfect renderings of our traditional kitchens.
What’s very engrossing is that this isn’t a one dimensional farm to fork book. It’s got an evocative build up preceding each region’s dishes. So in Jammu & Kashmir, there’s a beautiful section on the prized flowers: saffron, cockscomb, and gucchi. It’s funny, bizarre actually, that the section on UP, acknowledges contamination of water even in Shah Jahan’s times when he moved to Shahjahanabad (today’s Old Delhi).
The section on foods of the North East is a complete eye opener, as most of us haven’t moved beyond Thukpa and Momos. Same with Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand, as the book embarks on a purist and not a touristy culinary journey.
In a world falling captive to AI, here’s a loud burpy cheer to a book that celebrates the days gone by, and the memories we can all still make, keeping our tiffin box of goodies simmering and smiling.
If your mouth is watering after reading this review, do order the book from Amazon (kbc affiliate link),
CLICK & BUY NOW!Disclaimer: Vinay is part of the #kbcReviewerSquad and received this book as a review copy from the publisher via kbc.
