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Whose Samosa is it Anyway?: The Story of Where 'Indian' Food Really Came From
Did the European traders come to India before the Arab conquerors?
Can you say cinnamon is an Indian spice even though it first grew in Sri Lanka on the Indian subcontinent?
Accompany Sonal Ved on a journey of taste through the various timelines across the Indian subcontinent. We go from the banks of the Indus in 1900 bc to the great kingdoms of the north many centuries later; from the time of the Mauryans to when the Mughal Sultanate reigned supreme. Meet the Europeans merchants desperate to trade in Indian treasures, be it the deep-blue indigo or the pricey pepper. On this trip discover answers to such questions as What are the origins of chutney or of the fruit punch, and how are they connected to India? Who taught us how to make ladi pav and kebabs, and how did the Burmese khow suey land up on the wedding menus of Marwaris? The author takes us through the food history and traditions from the mountains in Kashmir to the backwaters of Kanyakumari; from the ports of the Bay of Bengal to the shores of the Arabian Sea, where traders and travelers arrived from the world over. And, finally, we find out whose samosa it truly is . . .
Can you say cinnamon is an Indian spice even though it first grew in Sri Lanka on the Indian subcontinent?
Accompany Sonal Ved on a journey of taste through the various timelines across the Indian subcontinent. We go from the banks of the Indus in 1900 bc to the great kingdoms of the north many centuries later; from the time of the Mauryans to when the Mughal Sultanate reigned supreme. Meet the Europeans merchants desperate to trade in Indian treasures, be it the deep-blue indigo or the pricey pepper. On this trip discover answers to such questions as What are the origins of chutney or of the fruit punch, and how are they connected to India? Who taught us how to make ladi pav and kebabs, and how did the Burmese khow suey land up on the wedding menus of Marwaris? The author takes us through the food history and traditions from the mountains in Kashmir to the backwaters of Kanyakumari; from the ports of the Bay of Bengal to the shores of the Arabian Sea, where traders and travelers arrived from the world over. And, finally, we find out whose samosa it truly is . . .
248 pages, Paperback
Published September 26, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
July 11, 2023
In a Nutshell: More suited to food history lovers than to general foodies. Read only if you like history. Luckily for the book, I do.
No one is more surprised than I am that, after not having read a single food book all these years, I have now read two in 2023 itself. And in both cases, the title was the reason. The samosa is a favourite snack of mine, and when I saw this amazing title, I jumped at the book without doing any due diligence. I am sure many of my Indian friends will feel the same about such an appealing book name.
Sadly, the title is quite click bait in intent and misleading in effect. To know what the book is about, you need to focus more on the tagline: “The Story of Where 'Indian' Food Really Came From.” This represents the book precisely.
People always talk about Indian dishes and Indian food. Even I claim that “Indian food” is my favourite across whatever cuisines I have tried. But the fact is that there is nothing called “Indian food.” Food in India is as diverse as its regions and its cultures. Westerners might refer to every single “Indian” dish as “Indian food”, but to us locals, food choices come with a reference to their location or community such as Punjabi, Kerala, Goan, Bengali, Mughlai, Assamese, East Indian (who are funnily not based in East India but in Mumbai), Chettinad, and so on. Contrary to common misconception, many Indians are non-vegetarian as well (and have been so since millenia). Hence, many regions/cultures are reputed for their nonveg cuisine too.
What is common to all of our food, whether veg or nonveg, is the ubiquitous and generous use of spices. Indian food is quite hot and flavourful, (and its desserts – sweet and flavourful), so it is tough to digest that many of our spices weren’t, in fact, *our* spices just a few centuries ago. The omnipresent potato and green chilli are also not Indian in origin, and our so-called national drink – ‘chai’ or tea, but not ‘chai tea’ please! – was introduced here by one of our colonial invaders. Cucumbers on the contrary, have their roots in India. Moreover, millets, though hailed as a modern superfood, were a part of the Indian diet even before rice was.
If such a history of our cuisines, our food habits, our spices and our local produce interests you, this is a great book to read. It begins with the early “Indians” around 6000 BCE, then covers the development and food habits of the Indus valley civilisation - the earliest-known culture of the Indian subcontinent around 2500-2000 BCE. Making its historical way down the ages, the book covers the impact of traders, invaders, royalty, and religions on local food, reaching down to modern times, though the modern era is quite brief.
While the author’s perspective on modern Indian food is somewhat elitist—I can bet a million dollars that not every urban Indian has truffle oil in their pantry or enchiladas in their tiffin—her presentation of the historical development of and additions to the Indian palate is spot on. Her meticulous research proves itself in every single chapter and in the long list of reference material provided in the appendix. There are some fascinating facts as well, some familiar to me and some new and mind-boggling. I never knew that my favourite sambar was named after the Maratha king Sambhaji or that Tagore featured in an advert for Bournvita!
If I am so impressed with the book’s facts and the author’s research, why is my rating so low? Well, you had to make me open my mouth, didn’t you? Here you go:
🚩 The click bait title, and the misleading quote by Ranveer Brar on the cover page, both of which create wrong expectations.
🚩 The introduction - fabulous but too elongated, containing needless foreshadowing of what’s to come in the rest of the book. It is more like a summary than an intro.
🚩 Because the introduction went far beyond its reach and purpose, the content in the main chapters sometimes feels repetitive.
🚩 There is an attempt made at humour, but this feels quite forced at times.
🚩 The abundant crosslinking (‘I will cover this in the next section’ or ‘More about this in chapter four’) - quite irritating after a while.
🚩 The samosa is hardly there. Can’t forgive that!
🚩 There is not a single photograph in the entire book! What kind of food book has zero food photos!??!!?
🚩 Including some authentic Indian recipes would have been such a bonus. Especially keeping in mind the credentials of the author, I think this was a missed opportunity, even though it was not the main focus of the book.
Overall, I did like this book a lot, but that is mainly because I am a history buff. As a history book, it is fascinating, but as a food book, it is akin to a dish that is palatable but could have been better seasoned and better plated.
Recommended to those interested in a historical perspective of what constitutes Indian cuisine.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Penguin Random House India and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Whose Samosa is it Anyway?: The Story of Where 'Indian' Food Really Came From”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Editing to Add: Some divine presence probably sensed my disappointment at the lack of samosas in this book, and hence presented this lovely front page article this morning in the Bombay Times supplement of the Times of India. So much fun to see Gary Mehigan's enthusiasm for Indian cuisine. That's exactly what I wanted from Sonal Ved's book rather than a plain factual chronology.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/t...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
No one is more surprised than I am that, after not having read a single food book all these years, I have now read two in 2023 itself. And in both cases, the title was the reason. The samosa is a favourite snack of mine, and when I saw this amazing title, I jumped at the book without doing any due diligence. I am sure many of my Indian friends will feel the same about such an appealing book name.
Sadly, the title is quite click bait in intent and misleading in effect. To know what the book is about, you need to focus more on the tagline: “The Story of Where 'Indian' Food Really Came From.” This represents the book precisely.
People always talk about Indian dishes and Indian food. Even I claim that “Indian food” is my favourite across whatever cuisines I have tried. But the fact is that there is nothing called “Indian food.” Food in India is as diverse as its regions and its cultures. Westerners might refer to every single “Indian” dish as “Indian food”, but to us locals, food choices come with a reference to their location or community such as Punjabi, Kerala, Goan, Bengali, Mughlai, Assamese, East Indian (who are funnily not based in East India but in Mumbai), Chettinad, and so on. Contrary to common misconception, many Indians are non-vegetarian as well (and have been so since millenia). Hence, many regions/cultures are reputed for their nonveg cuisine too.
What is common to all of our food, whether veg or nonveg, is the ubiquitous and generous use of spices. Indian food is quite hot and flavourful, (and its desserts – sweet and flavourful), so it is tough to digest that many of our spices weren’t, in fact, *our* spices just a few centuries ago. The omnipresent potato and green chilli are also not Indian in origin, and our so-called national drink – ‘chai’ or tea, but not ‘chai tea’ please! – was introduced here by one of our colonial invaders. Cucumbers on the contrary, have their roots in India. Moreover, millets, though hailed as a modern superfood, were a part of the Indian diet even before rice was.
If such a history of our cuisines, our food habits, our spices and our local produce interests you, this is a great book to read. It begins with the early “Indians” around 6000 BCE, then covers the development and food habits of the Indus valley civilisation - the earliest-known culture of the Indian subcontinent around 2500-2000 BCE. Making its historical way down the ages, the book covers the impact of traders, invaders, royalty, and religions on local food, reaching down to modern times, though the modern era is quite brief.
While the author’s perspective on modern Indian food is somewhat elitist—I can bet a million dollars that not every urban Indian has truffle oil in their pantry or enchiladas in their tiffin—her presentation of the historical development of and additions to the Indian palate is spot on. Her meticulous research proves itself in every single chapter and in the long list of reference material provided in the appendix. There are some fascinating facts as well, some familiar to me and some new and mind-boggling. I never knew that my favourite sambar was named after the Maratha king Sambhaji or that Tagore featured in an advert for Bournvita!
If I am so impressed with the book’s facts and the author’s research, why is my rating so low? Well, you had to make me open my mouth, didn’t you? Here you go:
🚩 The click bait title, and the misleading quote by Ranveer Brar on the cover page, both of which create wrong expectations.
🚩 The introduction - fabulous but too elongated, containing needless foreshadowing of what’s to come in the rest of the book. It is more like a summary than an intro.
🚩 Because the introduction went far beyond its reach and purpose, the content in the main chapters sometimes feels repetitive.
🚩 There is an attempt made at humour, but this feels quite forced at times.
🚩 The abundant crosslinking (‘I will cover this in the next section’ or ‘More about this in chapter four’) - quite irritating after a while.
🚩 The samosa is hardly there. Can’t forgive that!
🚩 There is not a single photograph in the entire book! What kind of food book has zero food photos!??!!?
🚩 Including some authentic Indian recipes would have been such a bonus. Especially keeping in mind the credentials of the author, I think this was a missed opportunity, even though it was not the main focus of the book.
Overall, I did like this book a lot, but that is mainly because I am a history buff. As a history book, it is fascinating, but as a food book, it is akin to a dish that is palatable but could have been better seasoned and better plated.
Recommended to those interested in a historical perspective of what constitutes Indian cuisine.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Penguin Random House India and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Whose Samosa is it Anyway?: The Story of Where 'Indian' Food Really Came From”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Editing to Add: Some divine presence probably sensed my disappointment at the lack of samosas in this book, and hence presented this lovely front page article this morning in the Bombay Times supplement of the Times of India. So much fun to see Gary Mehigan's enthusiasm for Indian cuisine. That's exactly what I wanted from Sonal Ved's book rather than a plain factual chronology.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/t...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
February 14, 2022
The book blurb and reviews on the cover and back page are misleading. Rather than a well-researched story of the actual origins of Indian cuisine it seems to be a hurried effort compiling documents from various sources about the history of Indian cuisine. The chapter on Indus Valley Civilization is the weakest and most boring section. Parts of the book are interesting but still does not manage to hold one’s attention.
December 12, 2021
Whose Samosa Is It Anyway? By Sonal Ved is the story of where Indian food originated and also how we see the change over the decades. If you're a person who loves and enjoys cooking this book is definitely going to help you elevate your relationship with food.
In this book we see Sonal Ved travel across centuries as well as go various places across Indian subcontinent. It starts from 1900b, India Valley Civilization and how cities came into places later. It talks about geography, food and agriculture during this time.
After which we focus on religion, which I feel affects a lot on our food and culture defines it. Along with this we also get to read a very short phrase / scripture from Vedic society times. It talks about the four Vedas and how food changes across these times.
The later part focuses on Indian Royalty where we see food from Gujarati as well as Maharashtrian culture. Not only this author has also penned down some points from Mauryan dynasty as well as Pallava dynasty and much more. Definitely pick this up if you wish to read about the history of food and it's origins.
In this book we see Sonal Ved travel across centuries as well as go various places across Indian subcontinent. It starts from 1900b, India Valley Civilization and how cities came into places later. It talks about geography, food and agriculture during this time.
After which we focus on religion, which I feel affects a lot on our food and culture defines it. Along with this we also get to read a very short phrase / scripture from Vedic society times. It talks about the four Vedas and how food changes across these times.
The later part focuses on Indian Royalty where we see food from Gujarati as well as Maharashtrian culture. Not only this author has also penned down some points from Mauryan dynasty as well as Pallava dynasty and much more. Definitely pick this up if you wish to read about the history of food and it's origins.
January 28, 2022
This book could've been so much better. Though she has clearly done a ton of research, the author's bias as a glossy magazine columnist has made her write a 200 page book in the same style. That plays down the hard work that she has obviously put in. Given the author's credentials as "content director at India Food Network, Tastemade India and the food editor at Vogue India," the fact-checking, proof-reading and editing should have definitely been better. I started this book with a lot of expectations and was disappointed. If you're only looking to skim the subcontinent's food history in a breezy "glossy magazine" manner, this is the perfect book for you. I won't say it's not worth reading. Anyone who's interested in Indian food history will find at least some parts of the book to be informative and good. But be prepared to be underwhelmed.
March 17, 2024
There is never a dull moment when reading about Indian food/cuisine.First of all the word itself is a misnomer because there is no such thing as Indian cuisine. The inherent diversity present within India is so evident when it comes to food choices and practices. Although what is more or less universal is the liberal use of spices and omnipresence of desserts across all regional cuisines. I really liked the different segments made in the book. Looking at Indian food through the lens of royalty,religion,trade and influx of different cultures brings out the core values of India.
Every culture enriched the inherent goodness and hence provided us the diversity we are so proud of. Whether it's the cafreal and xacuti from Portugese or kebabs and biryani from the middle East, every influence had a role to play. It becomes very apparent that our scriptures had also documented a lot of ingredients and recipes which became or got modified into the current form. Also a lot of religious beliefs around food choices are nothing but just a view which gets accepted by people. They are as good or true as the people want them to be. Overall the book is a nice read if you are remotely interested in Indian cuisine.
Every culture enriched the inherent goodness and hence provided us the diversity we are so proud of. Whether it's the cafreal and xacuti from Portugese or kebabs and biryani from the middle East, every influence had a role to play. It becomes very apparent that our scriptures had also documented a lot of ingredients and recipes which became or got modified into the current form. Also a lot of religious beliefs around food choices are nothing but just a view which gets accepted by people. They are as good or true as the people want them to be. Overall the book is a nice read if you are remotely interested in Indian cuisine.
February 23, 2022
Growing up with a defence background, I have tasted unique dishes from varieties of tiffins. Every tiffin opened with a different aroma and sometimes traditional cuisine.
Through the lens of food, Sonal Ved took a glimpse at the life of Indus Valley Civilisation and foreign invasions. These historic events sprinkled their influence on the plate of Indian cuisine. These influences are embedded so deep in the Indian plate, it is hard to segregate them now.
The book started from the simple superfood of Indus civilisation and progressed onto adding masala of Mughal and Portuguese influences. The last part of the book briefly covered the impact of the green revolution and the evolvement of major Indian companies like Parle, Vadilal and Amul.
The Indian plate has accepted experiments and influences from past and present and is still ready to change. But as I read, I partly became conscious of the food I ate. The same-old staple food suddenly looked interesting. The roller board to make roti was an invention of Indus civilisation, and the masala to my sabzi was once a lavish luxury. Truly, my food carried all the taste, love, and history.
Through the lens of food, Sonal Ved took a glimpse at the life of Indus Valley Civilisation and foreign invasions. These historic events sprinkled their influence on the plate of Indian cuisine. These influences are embedded so deep in the Indian plate, it is hard to segregate them now.
The book started from the simple superfood of Indus civilisation and progressed onto adding masala of Mughal and Portuguese influences. The last part of the book briefly covered the impact of the green revolution and the evolvement of major Indian companies like Parle, Vadilal and Amul.
The Indian plate has accepted experiments and influences from past and present and is still ready to change. But as I read, I partly became conscious of the food I ate. The same-old staple food suddenly looked interesting. The roller board to make roti was an invention of Indus civilisation, and the masala to my sabzi was once a lavish luxury. Truly, my food carried all the taste, love, and history.
February 22, 2022
Would prefer food blogs/vlogs over this anyday
December 31, 2021
I have always been interested in food history, so this was perfect selection for me. I enjoyed the humorous writing and historical roots of some of the ingredients in my kitchen – Paneer from Persia, chilly from the Americas, Sambar is Maharashtraian, Barley is ancient grain of India etc.
I also found the book repetitive at places, the same information is appearing at many places in the book. That could’ve been one reason why this is not leading to any cohesive argument or narrative; they remain as a bunch of information. It would’ve helped to have a deft editorial hand that could've woven a story or argument through these plentiful pieces of information.
I also found the book repetitive at places, the same information is appearing at many places in the book. That could’ve been one reason why this is not leading to any cohesive argument or narrative; they remain as a bunch of information. It would’ve helped to have a deft editorial hand that could've woven a story or argument through these plentiful pieces of information.
January 26, 2022
I’m inclined to put the blame more on the editor (both commissioning + copy) than the author for this, but the book comes across as incredibly disjointed and rambly.
Indian food is indeed too huge a concept to fit into 4 chapters, and focusing on history and following a timeline means that there is no nuanced narrative for other socioeconomic factors like caste, class, religious divides etc.
Large swathes of one chapter are simply quoting sentences and paras from other books. Where is the analysis? A lot of explanations are relegated to footnotes.
I caught about 4-5 grammatical/punctuation errors, and sorry this is a pet peeve of mine, but I can’t think glowingly of any book with such lapses.
Disappointing because I was really looking forward to enjoying it.
Indian food is indeed too huge a concept to fit into 4 chapters, and focusing on history and following a timeline means that there is no nuanced narrative for other socioeconomic factors like caste, class, religious divides etc.
Large swathes of one chapter are simply quoting sentences and paras from other books. Where is the analysis? A lot of explanations are relegated to footnotes.
I caught about 4-5 grammatical/punctuation errors, and sorry this is a pet peeve of mine, but I can’t think glowingly of any book with such lapses.
Disappointing because I was really looking forward to enjoying it.
January 23, 2022
While Sonal's research seems to be spot on, the weaving of all of that information into a narrative could use more work. The chapters that detail the influence of conquerers, religion and, royalty on the food ethic of an entire subcontinent seem incongruous at first glance, and hence difficult to absorb. Also, her proclivity to a certain cuisine seems to be an unnecessary detail to a book that should be an objective history. While this is a fun (and short 177-page read), I would have preferred a more structured, detailed story-telling style to something that is so intimately connected to everyone's hearts!
February 22, 2022
This book follows the journey of food through the ages. The food item remains the same but the name and it’s preparations differ from place to place.
This book talks about how food is affected by geography and religion. We get to read the evolution of food from centuries. There’s a mention of the four vedas in which it’s written how the food has changed overtime.
It was an enjoyable read but at places it felt as if unnecessary details were inculcated. If you really love cooking and would love to know about the history of food, then this book is for you.
This book talks about how food is affected by geography and religion. We get to read the evolution of food from centuries. There’s a mention of the four vedas in which it’s written how the food has changed overtime.
It was an enjoyable read but at places it felt as if unnecessary details were inculcated. If you really love cooking and would love to know about the history of food, then this book is for you.
April 15, 2022
Food has always been our first love but a thought about its origin rarely crosses our mind. Reading about Whose Samosa is it anyway? by Sonal Ved gave me an insight into how the Indian cuisine came about and how the international influences were mixed with our own national cuisine.
Sonal Ved takes us back since the start of the civilisation. She gives us an insight into the Indus Valley era and how food was introduced for the survival of man. Every religion has always had its impact on the India meals too and that also is definitively mentioned in the book. Sonal Ved also takes us in the historic period of Mughals and Maharajas and their dynasty giving the reader a view about the food culture during those times.
Reading this book has been an informative journey and partly sometimes made me hungry too reading about those delicious dishes. It’s an easy read with understandable terms and statements.
The one thing that lacked for me in this book was that it felt monotonous. This book can be a treasure for those people who love reading about food, their textures, their ingredients and their origin.
Sonal Ved takes us back since the start of the civilisation. She gives us an insight into the Indus Valley era and how food was introduced for the survival of man. Every religion has always had its impact on the India meals too and that also is definitively mentioned in the book. Sonal Ved also takes us in the historic period of Mughals and Maharajas and their dynasty giving the reader a view about the food culture during those times.
Reading this book has been an informative journey and partly sometimes made me hungry too reading about those delicious dishes. It’s an easy read with understandable terms and statements.
The one thing that lacked for me in this book was that it felt monotonous. This book can be a treasure for those people who love reading about food, their textures, their ingredients and their origin.
September 26, 2023
Under the guise of talking about Indian food, the author tells us about the history of India and how, in its various regions, food and religion have a very close interconnection that has evolved over time into a series of food choices.
Con la scusa di parlare del cibo indiano, l'autore ci racconta la storia dell'India e di come, nelle sue varie regioni, il cibo e la religione abbiano un'interconnessione strettissima che con il passare del tempo si é poi evoluta in una serie di scelte alimentari.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Con la scusa di parlare del cibo indiano, l'autore ci racconta la storia dell'India e di come, nelle sue varie regioni, il cibo e la religione abbiano un'interconnessione strettissima che con il passare del tempo si é poi evoluta in una serie di scelte alimentari.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
March 26, 2022
"Spices are to Indian cuisine what the hashtag wanderlust is to travel bloggers, a cliché but essential."
- Sonal Ved, Whose Samosa is it anyway?
Want to travel to various Civilizations, especially Indus? Want to explore various empires from the Mauryans to the Mughals? Want to know how Indian religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism shaped the Indian Cuisine through centuries? Whose Samosa is it anyway? by Sonal Ved takes us on a trip and explains the origin of a lot of Indian and Asian Dishes, fruits, Indian terminologies regarding food, how the name of specific dishes was kept and so much more. Basically, almost everything about the Indian Cuisine!
What i liked about the book is how the author took the effort to sit down and organise all this information regarding Indian cuisine, what points she chose on to describe the shaping of Indian meals, and more importantly how it busts a lot of myths regarding the origin of a lot of 'Indian' food that we think are. Again, the book had a couple of political connotations in the introduction itself and in the first chapter which should have been avoided. I skimmed through the references and information source given at the end of the book, I found a lot news websites, websites used by religious organisations or activists etc, which I don't think would be very reliable or termed as 'history'. Although, I won't say don't trust the information but go through the references yourself and judge on your own.
It's a light read, especially for history enthusiasts like me. It does get complex and repetitive at times, but I could easily ignore it. Would recommend this book to people like me who like history or obviously to foodies. I rate this book 4/5.
- Sonal Ved, Whose Samosa is it anyway?
Want to travel to various Civilizations, especially Indus? Want to explore various empires from the Mauryans to the Mughals? Want to know how Indian religions like Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism shaped the Indian Cuisine through centuries? Whose Samosa is it anyway? by Sonal Ved takes us on a trip and explains the origin of a lot of Indian and Asian Dishes, fruits, Indian terminologies regarding food, how the name of specific dishes was kept and so much more. Basically, almost everything about the Indian Cuisine!
What i liked about the book is how the author took the effort to sit down and organise all this information regarding Indian cuisine, what points she chose on to describe the shaping of Indian meals, and more importantly how it busts a lot of myths regarding the origin of a lot of 'Indian' food that we think are. Again, the book had a couple of political connotations in the introduction itself and in the first chapter which should have been avoided. I skimmed through the references and information source given at the end of the book, I found a lot news websites, websites used by religious organisations or activists etc, which I don't think would be very reliable or termed as 'history'. Although, I won't say don't trust the information but go through the references yourself and judge on your own.
It's a light read, especially for history enthusiasts like me. It does get complex and repetitive at times, but I could easily ignore it. Would recommend this book to people like me who like history or obviously to foodies. I rate this book 4/5.
January 8, 2024
A journey through the culinary history of Indian cuisine and ingredients, this book brings forth interesting stories about what was eaten centuries ago, how it was cooked, and what we learnt from migration, trade, and colonization that is now forever a part of our plates.
While interesting, I think this book fell short of the promise of its very interesting title and blurb. No doubt it traced the history, but I think it traced it too well. What I mean is that it reads more like a history textbook. Every chapter is a time period, and that chapter, as if expanded on bullet points of a student studying for exam concisely and carefully lays out an array of ingredients, dishes, and cooking techniques from the time. I think the book would have been much more fun if structured differently, where instead of each chapter being a time period, each chapter was a dish/subset of dishes and its lineage over time. I was also disappointed that there is hardly any coverage of Gujarati cuisine’s origins, how our daal became sweet and how farsan became our best friend, which in fact is also surprising given the Gujarati heritage of the author.
If culinary history is something that interests you, this book is good especially because it is simply written as is not very dry or long. Luckily, I have always been a history buff so this book did give me some fun anecdotes and did-ya-know facts for future family gatherings :)
While interesting, I think this book fell short of the promise of its very interesting title and blurb. No doubt it traced the history, but I think it traced it too well. What I mean is that it reads more like a history textbook. Every chapter is a time period, and that chapter, as if expanded on bullet points of a student studying for exam concisely and carefully lays out an array of ingredients, dishes, and cooking techniques from the time. I think the book would have been much more fun if structured differently, where instead of each chapter being a time period, each chapter was a dish/subset of dishes and its lineage over time. I was also disappointed that there is hardly any coverage of Gujarati cuisine’s origins, how our daal became sweet and how farsan became our best friend, which in fact is also surprising given the Gujarati heritage of the author.
If culinary history is something that interests you, this book is good especially because it is simply written as is not very dry or long. Luckily, I have always been a history buff so this book did give me some fun anecdotes and did-ya-know facts for future family gatherings :)
July 20, 2023
hile I am still not one to entertain with a home cooked meal, I do enjoy researching cuisines as a reflection of socio-political changes and movements. After Amitabh Ghosh’s long discussion on the spice trade and its impact, I wanted a chaser on the subject, approaching it from a different perspective, and Sonal Ved totally scratched that itch. Whose samosa is it anyway chronicles the evolution of Indian cuisine, from its ancient roots in the Indus Valley, to waves of conquerors, traders and colonisers adding their own flavours and ingredients into the melting pot. She’s done a tremendous amount of research, and packs a lot of fascinating information into this skinny little book. It’s structured like an academic paper, with a long introduction of her methodology, and sections devoted to Indus Valley as the starting point, the impact of religion, of trade, of empire, and of colonisation, which makes for comfortable reading.
What left a lot to be desired was the writing itself - the lazy blog-like treatment, the unnecessary insertion of her own personality (no I don’t want to know about your skincare obsession while you’re talking about the culinary rules of Jainism) kind of dumbed down the experience.
Having said that, it’s a great starter book for anyone who wants a summary of this vast subject.
What left a lot to be desired was the writing itself - the lazy blog-like treatment, the unnecessary insertion of her own personality (no I don’t want to know about your skincare obsession while you’re talking about the culinary rules of Jainism) kind of dumbed down the experience.
Having said that, it’s a great starter book for anyone who wants a summary of this vast subject.
October 23, 2023
Whose Samosa is it Anyway? is a book I had been looking forward to reading for a long time.
I'm so happy to have finally finished reading it. Having written about food and travel for the past 12 years, this book is like a treasure trove of information as to what shaped the food and food habits across India. The book starts with the earliest civilization in the region, Indus Valley Civilization. Starting from there, the author takes you on a journey of what the earliest Indians ate and how the Vedas describe food, giving us an idea of the diet of the people back then.
After this it's a journey through time where you get to know how religion shaped the food habits of people, the contribution of various dynasties to the food culture across the length and breadth of India and how the foreign traders and colonials added to what is now called Indian food.
In the conclusion the author also talks about the modern era where recipe books and cooking shows gave insights to the Indian households on Indian cookery and lastly how the Indian cuisine is on now redefining itself in many ways.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and if you're someone who enjoys a touch of history while reading, this book is a must read.
I'm so happy to have finally finished reading it. Having written about food and travel for the past 12 years, this book is like a treasure trove of information as to what shaped the food and food habits across India. The book starts with the earliest civilization in the region, Indus Valley Civilization. Starting from there, the author takes you on a journey of what the earliest Indians ate and how the Vedas describe food, giving us an idea of the diet of the people back then.
After this it's a journey through time where you get to know how religion shaped the food habits of people, the contribution of various dynasties to the food culture across the length and breadth of India and how the foreign traders and colonials added to what is now called Indian food.
In the conclusion the author also talks about the modern era where recipe books and cooking shows gave insights to the Indian households on Indian cookery and lastly how the Indian cuisine is on now redefining itself in many ways.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and if you're someone who enjoys a touch of history while reading, this book is a must read.
February 15, 2022
A promising title but the contents were a big disappointment. There is an interminable introduction – a detailed summary (an oxymoron, I know) of the rest of the book. Just a rambling and flippant account of Indian history.
My understanding is that it is safe to assume that, like Bandra West, perhaps the Indus society too was a multi-ethnic society, and the Vedic people were a part of that society, like the foreigners you’ll see savouring moringa smoothies post a yogalates class.Mainly routine stuff, except for an occasional gem:
…real Balti food is so rare, it can seldom be found outside certain pockets of Ladakh or even on Google fo that matter. Dishes like kisir, buckwheat pancake; tsamik, yoghurt- and herb-based dip; fay mar, roasted barley flour mixed with white butter; ba-leh, local hand-rolled noodles; grangthur, fluffy buckwheat bread; chonmagramgrim, a salad of tomato, apple, walnut, apricots and yak cheese; and phading, a dessert of boiled apricots.The book could have been more succinct without the numerous repetitions and done with some drastic pruning.
April 9, 2022
"Whose samosa is it anyway?"
Is a book written by Sonal Ved, who is a journalist. Book is written in layman language, comprehensive enough that enables reader for fast and enjoyable reading sessions to some extent.
But, if you're a dedicated culinary reader who loves to enhance knowledge about it, then I'm afraid to confess it may be a disappointment. On the contrary, if you're a casual reader then at times then it may be enjoyable.
Factually, this book is written with utter ignorance.... to the extent that the information given is in shape of a disjointed journal with pieces of info that can be procured from different sites 😀 But, I feel the efforts by the author to accumulate the entire random information at one place foe the readers.
PIf we are expecting the satisfactory outcome after reading it's not there. But, as I said earlier if you're a casual reader than it's good to plunge into it , as it will soothe your novice curiosities about food.
So you may enjoy reading it..... Best wishes!
Is a book written by Sonal Ved, who is a journalist. Book is written in layman language, comprehensive enough that enables reader for fast and enjoyable reading sessions to some extent.
But, if you're a dedicated culinary reader who loves to enhance knowledge about it, then I'm afraid to confess it may be a disappointment. On the contrary, if you're a casual reader then at times then it may be enjoyable.
Factually, this book is written with utter ignorance.... to the extent that the information given is in shape of a disjointed journal with pieces of info that can be procured from different sites 😀 But, I feel the efforts by the author to accumulate the entire random information at one place foe the readers.
PIf we are expecting the satisfactory outcome after reading it's not there. But, as I said earlier if you're a casual reader than it's good to plunge into it , as it will soothe your novice curiosities about food.
So you may enjoy reading it..... Best wishes!
July 19, 2022
"Whose samosa is it anyway" suffers from a misleading blurb - this is a set of discrete and not particularly noteworthy explorations of various aspects of Indian cuisine at points in Indian history, not an examination of where Indian food comes from.
I started this book with high hopes. It was disjointed, lacked an overarching theme that pulled all the chapters together, and did not feel particularly well researched. It felt as though many anecdotes were cherry-picked because the author thought they would be interesting to write about, rather than because they would add to the story. The chapters would work reasonably well as separate long-form articles in magazines, but as a book, it lacked cohesion. I was underwhelmed despite having a strong interest in the subject matter.
I would recommend Bee Wilson's food history book "Consider the Fork" as an example of lively, interesting, well-researched food writing; I was expecting something similar in this book and did not receive it.
I started this book with high hopes. It was disjointed, lacked an overarching theme that pulled all the chapters together, and did not feel particularly well researched. It felt as though many anecdotes were cherry-picked because the author thought they would be interesting to write about, rather than because they would add to the story. The chapters would work reasonably well as separate long-form articles in magazines, but as a book, it lacked cohesion. I was underwhelmed despite having a strong interest in the subject matter.
I would recommend Bee Wilson's food history book "Consider the Fork" as an example of lively, interesting, well-researched food writing; I was expecting something similar in this book and did not receive it.
February 18, 2022
This introduces us to the various cuisines, spices, veggies and fruits that have made a fuss about where did they come from. The amalgamation of how the cuisines were adapted by the various civilizations and how the external invasions led to rapid changes to basic concept of the original cuisine. It catalogs cuisines and traditional preparation methods starting from Indus valley civilization, Vedic age and how it got tastes associated to those periods. In short it explores cuisine, culture and civilization to present the journey of food. And also how various dynasties have influenced the India's rich culinary practices.
Well, I got intrigued by the title and was curious enough to pick it up. But little 🤏 disappointed it tries to brush off the history through Citated introduction rather than focusing on the objective of the study. I would recommend to those have little or less idea about the how and when the civilizations got established and perished over time.
Well, I got intrigued by the title and was curious enough to pick it up. But little 🤏 disappointed it tries to brush off the history through Citated introduction rather than focusing on the objective of the study. I would recommend to those have little or less idea about the how and when the civilizations got established and perished over time.
January 20, 2024
This Book was indeed a fun read for me because I like reading histories, and hence the rating but here's what you would want to know.
Things I liked about this Book
- A hell lot of research which I really value
- Historical stories behind the discovery of dishes like Sambhar, Butter Chicken
Things I disliked about this Book
- The title is misleading, there are hardly any samosas (It is just mentioned twice in this whole book)
- Misleading quote by Chef Ranveer Brar on the cover page
- The abnormally long introduction (it could be considered a summary)
- Because the introduction covered a lot of information already, the content on the later chapters felt repeated.
- There were certain dish names that were really difficult to pronounce, I would have liked a pronounciation guide in brackets after the word.
- The book hardly contains facts, its more of "I am assuming", "We could say that"
I would still say that I enjoyed reading the book but it could been better in terms of writing.
Things I liked about this Book
- A hell lot of research which I really value
- Historical stories behind the discovery of dishes like Sambhar, Butter Chicken
Things I disliked about this Book
- The title is misleading, there are hardly any samosas (It is just mentioned twice in this whole book)
- Misleading quote by Chef Ranveer Brar on the cover page
- The abnormally long introduction (it could be considered a summary)
- Because the introduction covered a lot of information already, the content on the later chapters felt repeated.
- There were certain dish names that were really difficult to pronounce, I would have liked a pronounciation guide in brackets after the word.
- The book hardly contains facts, its more of "I am assuming", "We could say that"
I would still say that I enjoyed reading the book but it could been better in terms of writing.
July 16, 2024
The recipes of appetite 😋 ..!!!
You will get a taste of all corners of India. On this reading trip, you will come across to know about the origins of the tiffin or of the fruit punch and how are they connected to India from the Bank of Indus in 1900 BC to the great kingdoms of the Indian subcontinent.
The author takes us through food history and traditions from Kashmir to Kanyakumari; from the ports of the Bay of Bengal to the shores of the Arabian Sea... 😀
#bookreview #bookshelf #treasureoflife #bookaddict
You will get a taste of all corners of India. On this reading trip, you will come across to know about the origins of the tiffin or of the fruit punch and how are they connected to India from the Bank of Indus in 1900 BC to the great kingdoms of the Indian subcontinent.
The author takes us through food history and traditions from Kashmir to Kanyakumari; from the ports of the Bay of Bengal to the shores of the Arabian Sea... 😀
#bookreview #bookshelf #treasureoflife #bookaddict
January 26, 2023
The book acts as a decent repository of interesting facts relating to Indian cooking but lacks structure or an organising principle for the content. As a result, the reader only walks away with some memorable facts instead of a clear narrative or argument (beyond the idea that Indian cooking has diverse origins, influences, and pathways for further development) for how Indian cooking and cuisine evolved over time.
July 13, 2024
A cookbook of this kind does not so much modify your viewpoint or leave any lasting impression. What it does is that it fills your cranium with an overabundance of thought-provoking minutiae. And most of these details would congest your mind a few days, and will vanish in a month or two. Deplorably, I think most of the attention-grabbing factoids I've learned from this book are condemned to such a providence. Interesting presentation though.
January 9, 2022
This book is packed with good history on how Indian food came to be, from ancient civilization and royalty and trade to colonization. 3 stars because the writing style / interruptions jokingly comparing what was discussed to modern day equivalencies through me off a bit, and some content was repetitive. I recommend the book for anyone who wants to learn more about how Indian cuisine was shaped!
June 4, 2022
More of a 3.5
An interesting read about the history of food. From the Indus Valley civilization to modern times. Better storytelling and some tight editing could have worked wonders but a good one nonetheless.
An interesting read about the history of food. From the Indus Valley civilization to modern times. Better storytelling and some tight editing could have worked wonders but a good one nonetheless.
March 6, 2023
While the book is clearly well researched, it reads more like a word vomit of facts. It's a missed opportunity in compelling storytelling. Case in point, I came away feeling like I retained none of the interesting facts (of which there were hundreds) in the book.
October 2, 2023
Tries to explain the complexity and the influencing agents in the so-called 'authentic Indian cuisine'.
Not only the samosa but gajjar, chai, paneer, guava why even the chili were later introductions.
Not only the samosa but gajjar, chai, paneer, guava why even the chili were later introductions.
December 31, 2021
Great insight into the history of our food and cuisine
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