3 Review(s)

Legend: ‘He who cooks also ties his hair.’ Cooking does not just mean mixing oil and spices. Our society, life, and even culture are intimately connected with cooking. Alpana Ghosh’s new book ‘Randhan Padavali’ is a stunning exploration of that relationship. Behind the ordinary rice, dal, and curry lies an incredible story of countless Bengali families. How these were prepared, how they took on new forms, how our daily food was prepared and entertained us with the constant efforts of millions of men and women, Alpana has written its mysterious history through short essays. Just ordinary food? How foreign and exotic cuisines crossed the threshold of Bengali kitchens and became a part of our middle-class lives, this book is also a testament to that. The author has piqued our curiosity, made our daily lives suddenly unique, and made our kitchens look like a fascinating novel.