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.