The Kheer with No Name
Chef Ashok Eapen unearths the history and science behind the Lucknowi Benami kheer—a sweet Awadhi pudding made with a secret, “benami” or nameless ingredient—served at Thiruvananthapuram’s Local Food Club.
Letters from the Room
The Laddoo Lore
Akash traces the history of the Mayurbhanj laddoo through royal kitchens while also sharing his fondness for the laddoo that he grew up eating with his grandfather.
In the Habit of Sweetness
A delicate mortar-pestle meant only for saffron becomes an inheritance of taste, ritual, and a grandmother’s insistence on everyday sweetness for a member of LFC Mumbai.
Wednesdays at Shaikpet’s Farmers’ Market
An LFC member reflects on how a weekly farmers’ market in Hyderabad’s Shaikpet neighbourhood unexpectedly grew into a community that remembered her even after she moved away.
Coming home to the LFC
Two sisters share their stories of food and memory and why they keep returning to the Local Food Club.
Surmai, Saved For Next Time
A member of LFC Mumbai shares a story of leftovers that moved through time and memory.
Postcards From the Room
At an intimate LFC meetup in Bengaluru, postcards, ingredients, and handwritten notes become a way of carrying each other’s food stories home.
Paan for the Ages
At LFC Kolkata, Swati places an almost 100-year-old paan ka dabba on the table, attempting to revive a ritual long out of use.
My Mother From Next Door
Kanupriya recalls a childhood shaped by a back door, unending pots of food, and the neighbour who became a second mother to her.