Books on Food - The Locavore

Books on Food

Anumeha Yadav’s picture book asks—‘what are we doing to our rich food diversity, our seeds?’

Deepshika Pasupunuri
March 24, 2026

Based on her investigative series on the central government’s rice fortification programme, ‘Our Rice Tastes of Spring’ highlights why the locals’ right to control their own food systems matters.

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Desi Rice Made the Most Wonderful Bhaat Nu Osaman

Sheetal Bhatt
November 7, 2025

This rice-based drink is consumed in the hills of Dahod and Panchmahal in Gujarat.

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Gunda Na Mor Ni Kadhi Is Only Made During the Brief Springtime

Sheetal Bhatt
November 6, 2025

This kadhi made with glueberry blossoms is still consumed during the brief period of spring in the northeast regions of Gujarat.

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No Meal in Northeast Gujarat Is Complete Without Vaatelo Masalo

Sheetal Bhatt
November 6, 2025

This hand-pounded masala paste is often used in dishes prepared by the Garasia, Dungri Garasia, and Bhil communities in northeast Gujarat.

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Books on Food

Nothing For The Bin: Lessons from ‘The No-Waste Kitchen Cookbook’

Arina Suchde
October 1, 2025

Arina Suchde’s debut book, ‘The No-Waste Kitchen Cookbook,’ was published in 2023 by Harper Collins. Cover image courtesy of Harper Collins. Cover design by Ramnika Sehrawat. Illustrations by Sayan.

Bruised tomatoes, cauliflower stems, orange peels—what we dismiss, Arina Suchde wants you to begin redeeming. In this excerpt from The No-Waste Kitchen Cookbook, she makes a case for our everyday food scraps as the beginnings of a meal, not its discard.

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Books on Food

Meat wasn’t available anytime you desired!

Shahu Patole
June 25, 2025

Image of Book Cover. Excerpted with permission from ‘Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada’ by Shahu Patole, translated from Marathi by Bhushan Korgaonkar. HarperCollins, Rs. 399.

For the Mahar and Mang communities in Maharashtra, meat was never easily available. When one came upon some, it would be made to last long enough, every bit of offal and fat put to use.

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Books on Food

One Sultan’s Lavish Dinners Shaped Delhi’s Food Traditions

Pushpesh Pant
June 10, 2025

‘FROM THE KING'S TABLE TO STREET FOOD: A FOOD HISTORY OF DELHI’ WAS PUBLISHED BY SPEAKING TIGER BOOKS IN 2024.

Delhi’s food is tied to several happenings from the city’s tumultuous past. In ‘From the King's Table to Street Food’ Pushpesh Pant offers a delightful account of each of these periods, including that of the Sultanate.

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Books on Food

“Our mangoes define us”

Sopan Joshi
May 16, 2025

An 18th century Mughal miniature depicting mangoes in varying stages of ripeness, from green to bright orange-yellow. Photo courtesy of The Cleveland Museum Of Arts.

Stories of growers, geopolitics, and even fruit flies, Sopan Joshi’s ‘Mangifera Indica’ describes multiple aspects of India’s most beloved fruit.

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Books on Food

The Migrant Women Running Delhi’s Informal Economy

Neha Dixit
May 8, 2025

Published in 2024, The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian is Neha Dixit’s first book. Photo courtesy of Juggernaut Books.

By following Syeda’s journey—from trimming the loose threads of jeans to cooking namkeen, and from shelling almonds to making tea strainers—Neha Dixit tries to capture the lived realities of the…

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