Eating with History: Ancient Trade-Influenced Cuisines of Kerala (F.B)

Eating With History: Ancient Trade-Influenced Cuisines of Kerala is an invaluable compendium of a culinary tradition and a variety of food recipes that evolved in Kerala’s kitchens. The food trail is extensive and as varied as it can get. The proximity to the sea and the natural beauty and resources of the state, especially the fragrant spices which grew in abundance, attracted inhabitants from foreign soils and inspired them to initiate overseas trade along what was later known as the Spice Route. In a state where fish, other seafood, and vegetables dominate people’s food habits, various kinds of meats, foreign cooking techniques, and exotic flavours were introduced through foreign trade influences and became significant foods. There are numerous recipes in each foreign-influenced community in Kerala, well-represented in this book, presented in meticulous detail. These recipes were cherished by families and handed down through generations via cross-cultural interactions among Jews of the Paradesi and Malabari sects, Syrian Christians, Muslims, Anglo-Indians, Latin Catholics, and others who mingled with and evolved from the local populace. The book offers a well-researched and rich cultural history of foreign food culture, tracing how new elements adapted to local food traditions and evolved as a parallel line of foods, creating new textures, flavours, and tastes.