This is a book about the food of Delhi, and its back story – the influences of colonisation, trade and migration, woven with the author’s memories of growing up in the city. It takes a deeper look at the food of Delhi’s four communities; the Sattvic and “no onion or garlic” food of the Baniyas and Jains; the perfumed Persianate food of the Muslims; the mock meat dishes of the Kayasthas and the robust foods brought by the Punjabis after Partition.

Delhi is often called the food capital of India as it is home to some of the most iconic foods including chaat, butter chicken and nihari. It is one of the longest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the site of several empires that brought different food cultures. Delhi also lies at the crossroads of ancient trade routes stretching from West Asia to Indonesia, plied by Arab and Indian traders. Several aromatic spices including nutmeg, mace, cloves, cassia and asafoetida existed in India long before the Columbian exchange, and were incorporated into the cuisine. Each successive rule brought culinary innovations, new ways of using spices, perfumes and cooking techniques. During the 800-yearlong Persianate period these were assimilated in the haute kitchens of Sultans and Mughal rulers of the city whose chefs were vying with each other to develop new and exciting tastes.

What is especially interesting is the persistence, in parallel, of ancient vegetarian food traditions of the Baniyas and Jains that are cooked according to principles of non-violence and purity. This coexistence of different culinary cultures continued under the celebrated Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb or the syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture of North India.