From Tamil Nadu to Mumbai’s Jari Mari, Kanji is a Story of Dalit Sustenance
Kanji is a verb, not just the name of a dish, asserts Pooja Ashokkumar as she traces the fermented rice-and-water dish's relevance through the migration of her community.
Stories
“We have always lived on these islands and gone to sea. How can the state say it does not belong to us?”
—S. Pandiammal, 44, Rameswaram
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![“[These manuscripts are] our heritage—we must preserve it”](https://i0.wp.com/thelocavore.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Isbah.jpeg?fit=720%2C576&ssl=1)
“[These manuscripts are] our heritage—we must preserve it”
—Isbah Khan, Persian scholar, Rampur
“If the water turns fresh, what happens to this cycle? How can it be a sustaining project?”
—Narayanan R., fisherman and activist, Kovalam Kuppam
This Ethnography Highlights the People and Skill Behind Bengal’s Mishti
How do we understand the knowledge required to make sweets? Ishita Dey’s book Sweet Excess discovers that it is an embodied knowledge, largely determined by caste- and class-realities.
Chaapda Chutney
The red weaver ants used in this chutney are foraged from the forest canopies of Bastar in Chhattisgarh.
Tangthur
This Ladakhi chutney is made with buttermilk, seasonal greens, and fresh summer herbs.
Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal on why chutney in India goes beyond one singular condiment
Rushina Munshaw-Ghildiyal shares the process of mapping chutneys across India for her recent book, how they are born out of geography and practicality as much as for flavour, and why despite their ubiquity, chutneys are…
A Mumbai Without Pav?
Changing regulations and a shortage of gas supply affects not only Mumbai's bakeries, but also the demographic that relies on them for its daily bread.
What Mumbai’s Liminal Coastal Spaces Stand to Lose
Through a series of photographs taken over the last seven years, Gautam Doshi illustrates the many relationships Mumbaikars share with the sea—of grieving, playing, working, loving.
![“Because [we don’t have] qualifications, they give us less money.”](https://i0.wp.com/thelocavore.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Devender-EL3-scaled.jpeg?fit=800%2C1067&ssl=1)
“Because [we don’t have] qualifications, they give us less money.”
—Devender Kumar Range, a compost worker in Sonipat
What Happens When Mithilanchal’s Makhana Attracts Global Demand?
A highly labour-intensive agricultural crop, makhana has been witnessing rising popularity in urban India and export demand. How has this surge affected the farmers who cultivate it?
Hands That Brew: The Complexities of Female Labour in the Making of Rice Beer
Traditional drinks are often regarded as repositories of culture. In Centrepiece, Rini Barman explores some of the less romantic aspects of this practice and the many implications of the act of brewing rice beer.