01/6Recipe books every food lover should read

Recipe books every food lover should read

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” The quote by 19th century English writer, Virginia Woolf, depicts the place food holds in our lives. Food is the path to know the culture, tradition and practices of a civilization or a place. Different places all over the world have a particular dish to offer that just blows anyone’s mind away. Also, food helps in forming very powerful memories that stay with us throughout our lives.
Food, being necessary to survive, has a history of its own. Talking in the Indian context, food is the center point of the country’s past and present. Food culture in India is very rich and exquisite. There have been recipes that were a part of the royal kitchen and could still be found. The reason behind this is the practice of the royal cooks to document their recipes. Many kings and queens had their own recipe books that got passed on from generation to generation, thus keeping the recipes alive. These recipe books opened up a window to a plethora of dishes and cuisines for the contemporary chefs to improvise and modernize. Here is a look at some of the oldest recipe books in India.

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02/6Charaka Samhita (6th century CE)

Charaka Samhita (6th century CE)
The text, mainly an ancient Sanskrit work on medicine and surgery, contains a range of recipes for a healthy living. It consists of eight books with 120 chapters in total. Chapters 5, 6, 25, 26 and 27 of the text are dedicated to ‘Aharattatva’ or dietetics. They contain many elaborate recipes for various ailments or health conditions. It mentions recipes for Khichadi, Takra (curd dish), Supa (lentil dish), Vesavara (boneless meat dish) etc. The ‘Charaka Samhita’ also suggests a regimen of Mamsa Rasa (meat soup) during pregnancy from 6th month onwards. readmore

03/6Manasollassa (1129)

Manasollassa (1129)
It is an early 12th century Sanskrit text composed by King Someshvara III who ruled in present day South India. It is actually an encyclopedic work that covers a wide range of topics including food. It is structured as five sub-books with a total of 100 chapters. The third sub-book, called as ‘Bhartur Upabhogakarana’, contains recipes of vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisines. It contains a range of recipes based on the fermentation of flour and cereals. Among meat dishes, it describes cuisines based on pork, venison, goat meat, and fish among others. Also, the book contains the art of making wine from grape and sugarcane. readmore

04/6Nimmatnama (1500)

Nimmatnama (1500)
Written by Giyath Shah, ruler of Malwa, it a medieval Indian cookbook of delicacies and recipes. ‘Nimatnama’, which literally translated to ‘book of delights’, includes recipes for Samosa, Vada, Khandvi, Kadhi, Raita, Dal, Lassi, etc. The book also refers to some of today’s popular dishes having Persian roots like Shorba (soup), Seekh (kebabs), Yakhni (meat stew) and Biryan (slow cooked rice). It mentions some peculiar recipes like Melon Halva and Ginger Halva.
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05/6Soopa Shastra (1508)

Soopa Shastra (1508)
Written by Mangarasa III, a follower of Jainism, the recipes given in the books are exclusively vegetarian. The ingredients and cooking methods are given in detail, and even the types of utensils and ovens needed are mentioned. It contains recipes for breads, sweets, snacks, Kheer, rice dishes etc. They make extensive use of rice, eggplant, jackfruit, raw banana, banana flowers and bamboo shoots. readmore

06/6‘Ain-i-Akbari’(1590), ‘Alwan-e-Nemat’ (17th century) and ‘Nuskha-e-Shahjahani’ (17th century)

‘Ain-i-Akbari’(1590), ‘Alwan-e-Nemat’ (17th century) and ‘Nuskha-e-Shahjahani’ (17th century)

The books were a part of Mughal royal kitchen. They included several fancy and exquisite recipes which were made elaborately. ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ mentions several recipes that were popular among the Mughal elite. ‘Alwan-e-Nemat’ contains 101 recipes from the kitchen of Jahangir. Lastly, ‘Nuskha-e-Shahjahani’ describes Pilaf (seasoned rice) recipes from Shah Jahan reign.


By: Kartikeya Shankar

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