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From the ancestral kitchen
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Of Sucharita Reddy’s book “Nostalgia Cuisine”
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Photo: M. Karunakaran
Cuisine and culture (from left) Sucharitha Reddy, Rashmi Uday Singh, Sreelatha Bhupal and Preetha Reddy at the launch
The mirchi bhajis were crisp, golden and old-fashioned. The waiters were traditional, dressed in white and gold, topped by graceful turbans. The guests were in kanjivarams, teamed with antique jewellery.
“Nostalgia Cuisine” by Sucharitha Reddy had an appropriate launch, at the family’s sprawling beach house. The book, after all, looks at food as a part of a community’s heritage, linking it with clothes, jewellery and customs.
Food writer Rashmi Uday Singh, who launched ’Nostalgia Cuisine’, spoke about how the book’s 150 recipes are more than just a string of measurements and instructions. “They weave the past, present and future... Architecture and jewellery. Food and traditional clothing… for example, she compares phulkas and rice to the Bengal cotton sari.”
Stating that “Food signifies culture.” Sucharitha’s speech, which was read out by a friend of hers, talked of how food is integrated with clothes, customs and beliefs. She added that family recipes are a “happy part of our heritage that we pass on to our children.”
“While growing up, so much of our life revolved around food: festivals…. everything we celebrated…,” she said, adding that “food reminds us of our childhood and our roots.”
In order to retain authenticity, the author has drawn on ancient family recipes from friends and relatives, some of whom can trace their lineage over 21 generations, and 700 years.
Of course scientifically quantifying and recording these recipes was probably one of the biggest challenges. “It was very difficult. I’ve always used my hand to measure,” said Sucharitha, “I never use spoons... I don’t even have to taste… I can tell if a dish doesn’t have enough salt by smelling it.”
Though, according to Sucharitha’s husband Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, of Apollo Hospital, “When we got married I don’t think she knew the difference between a pot and a pan.” He added with a laugh that she soon became an expert, “thanks to my guidance… I would have expected a gurudakshina. But she didn’t even teach me to make a cup of tea!”
Sucharitha’s daughter Shobana Reddy, who compered the evening, concluded by saying the book “is a brilliant tribute to everything we grew up with.” All proceeds, she said, will be donated to the ‘Save a Child’s Heart Foundation,’ an initiative of Apollo Hospitals.
SHONALI MUTHALALY
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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