A Taste Of Time ( A Food History Of Calcutta)

Description

Calcutta, once the nucleus of the Raj, was at the heart of a thriving economy and unparalleled administration. Over the centuries, this teeming, cosmopolitan metropolis has become home to people from various communities who have lent its food and culture their distinctive tastes and culinary rituals. The heady romance of palates and flavours in the ‘Royal Capital’ has fostered diversity in food and culture all the while adhering to the city’s Bengali roots. A Taste of Time is an insightful journey through the ever-changing landscape of Calcutta’s food and cultural milieu, from its decades-old cutlet, jhal muri, and puchka stalls to its iconic continental restaurants like Firpo’s and Flurys; from its oldest tea shop, Favourite Cabin, set up in 1924, to the 21st-century fine-dining restaurant threesixtythreeo. Mohona Kanjilal, through her immaculate research, deftly captures the stories behind the city’s endearing culture of ‘bikel chaar-ter cha’ (tea at 4 p.m.); its renowned bakeries like Nahoum’s; and the invention of rasogollas and samosas (or shingara). Diving into Calcutta’s dazzling history, she explores how the food habits of early European settlers, Jewish, Armenian, Chinese, Parsi and other expats, and the city’s next-door neighbours like Darjeeling and Odisha, have made the culinary fabric of Calcutta immensely rich and layered. This delightful and comprehensive history of food in Calcutta, peppered with mouthwatering nuggets, recipes and intriguing accounts of some revolutionary personalities of Bengal will appeal to the mind and tastebuds alike. Review: A MUST-READ FOR ALL BONG FOODIES! - This classic book on Bengali cooking has rekindled the old love in our small community of probashi Bengalis. In addition to the culinary culture, the book offers interesting deep dives into the historical background that conditioned the taste of the times. The book also has recommendations in and around Kolkata for sampling authentic dishes. Having finished the book, we decided to fly to Kolkata and savour some lost delicacies. I thank the author for taking us closer to the very essence of Bengal. It was a memorable roller-coaster ride, from fish cutlet to egg rolls, kochur loti to mocha, chingri to Ilish, jalbhora sandesh to Shaktigarher Laingcha! Review: Great book to travel through the food evolution in a city so dear to many…. - The entire book is an emotion…!!! Every chapter takes you to those times in Calcutta where you know the families, the food and its connection with the larger city life. To the one who loves the city, Calcutta & curious to know the culinary development , has a deep interest in history and reading traditions growing into modern habits & lifestyles, will enjoy. This is not a food recipe book, though the chapters elaborate on ingredients of a few well known dishes across cultures, but a detailed narrative of a city’s journey through its different culinary landscapes. It was fun and nostalgic, reading through the pages…..