Passed down from her grandmother, for Priyanjali, this Chingri Macher Pithe carries the smoky, delicate flavours of Borishal. It is a dish that is reminiscent of a land she has never been to, but feels intimately connected to.
Seasoned by the Sea is a coastal community cookbook published by Uyir Pathipagam (2025). Bommi’s family is widely known as crab-sellers in the Thazhankuppam region of Tamil Nadu. Her crab dish, involving simple ingredients and techniques, highlights the flavours of fresh crab.
A sweet innate to Chhattisgarh, Dehrauri is made by fermenting rice. Glass jars filled to the brim with these treats can be found in Chhattisgarhi homes during most festivals.
This prawn-based dish native to the tribal regions of Odisha employs the traditional technique of leaf-wrapped cooking, which not only imparts a rich, smoky flavour but is also an example of utilising a part of the plane that would otherwise be discarded.
Every year, the arrival of the harvest festival brings the sweet aroma of Patishapta, a traditional Bengali dessert, to Ishani Banerjee's home.The recipe for this simple delicacy, passed down over generations, represents rich, nuanced familial ties and maternal love.
In Bengaluru’s Kalyan Nagar, Prithiraj Borah finds that food isn’t used to censor, but rather corral people into communities. Joshua Muyiwa talks to the sociologist about his project that explores the ideas of food and belonging, and the complexities of the North-East identity.