India on a (paper) plate: This book traces the journey of the country's culinary treasures

Among author Sona Bahadur’s fond memories of food quests across Mumbai are the dhansak at Ripon Club in Fort

What is the difference between biryani and pulao? Who invented butter chicken? Is mutton dhansak or the chicken version superior? These are some of the mysteries that author and food journalist Sona Bahadur explores in her debut book, An Invitation to Feast: A Deep Dive into India's Culinary Treasures (Aleph Book Company, R899).

In the book, Bahadur - who has spent decades writing about food and once helmed the now-shuttered BBC Good Food India - dives deep into 11 beloved Indian dishes: from biryani, butter chicken and dosai, to Mumbai's vada pav and dhansak, Goan fish curry, undhiyu, shami kabab, chole, smoked pork, and rasgulla.

Father-son duo Jaffer Mansuri and Mazhar's biryani at Jaffer Bhai's Delhi Darbar

Reading it is like journeying across India with her - from tasting Rampuri yakhni pulao at a royal family's table, to sharing Sunday dhansak with Mumbai Parsis, to discovering axone-laced smoked pork in the Northeast. For Bahadur, it's never just about what's on the plate - it's about the histories, memories, and cultural identities that shape it.

"My favourite part [of the research process] was finding the story in each dish I chose. Each is a universe in itself," she says. In one of the Mumbai chapters, Bahadur traces the origins of the vada pav to 1966, when Ashok Vaidya began selling it from a cart outside Dadar station, now run by his son Narendra at the very same spot. She journeys across the city, from iconic vendors in Kalyan to experiments abroad in London, showing how the humble snack continues to evolve - be it Khar Social's vada pav bao or Khidki Vada's ready-to-use spice paste for home cooks.

The man credited with creating Mumbai's very first vada pav he carries forward the legacy of his father, Ashok

"Vada pav is undeniably political," says Bahadur. "It was created to champion Maharashtrian entrepreneurship and is steeped in ‘Marathi asmita' and the rise of the Shiv Sena." But what drew her in wasn't just its symbolism - it was the stories of the people behind the carts. "Meeting the vendors helped me humanise a street food we often romanticise from a distance."

Despite being the son of the man who invented vada pav, Narendra Vaidya still operates without a permit, constantly evading the authorities outside Dadar station. Bahadur points to a larger irony - while the vada pav is celebrated as a Mumbai icon, its vendors often receive little support, frequently lacking even basic licences after generations in the business.

Narendra Vaidya at his Dadar stall. Pic/Ashish Raje

"The problem," she says, "is that we don't see street food as heritage. In India, heritage means monuments, not meals. Though we cherish our street eats, we rarely treat them as cultural artefacts worth protecting." One vendor told her, "If India prides itself on entrepreneurship, why are the original innovators criminalised?" To Bahadur, these hawkers are more than cooks - they are Mumbai's memory keepers. "They've witnessed it all - market crashes, gang wars, sensational trials. Their stories aren't just about food; they're living city archives."

Social's Vada Pav Bao

Bahadur's connection to vada pav is both personal and political. As a young reporter in 1999, it was the cheap, satisfying snack that fuelled her long days in Mumbai. Today, she sees that same world under threat - red tape, COVID-19 shocks, and disinterest from younger generations have pushed many vendors to shut their shops.

Today, red tape and the financial shock from the COVID-19 pandemic have led to many vada pav vendors closing their shops. Some don't have successors willing to keep the business going. "Street carts are integral to Mumbai's cultural fabric. They will likely not disappear, but existential challenges abound in the lives of our vendors. If these issues are not addressed soon, we may lose the tastes and sights we love so dearly. A writer's job is to provoke questions and stimulate debate. If I have succeeded in focusing attention on the fragile ecosystem around our street food through my book, even in a small way, it's a start."

Battle of biryanis

During her research, Sona Bahadur sampled biryani from across the country, and we asked her to share her top three favourites. The Bombay Biryani finds a mention in her book as a comfort food, but does it figure in her all-time faves? "My top three picks would be Hyderabadi zafrani biryani, Awadhi yakhni pulao and Thalassery biryani," she says frankly. "Having said that, I love Bombay biryani for its juicy masala, and there are days when only a plate of Jaffer Bhai's chicken biryani will sate my cravings."

Sona Bahadur

Speaking of Thalassery biryani, Bahadur recounts one of her favourite anecdotes from her tasting travels for the book: "While researching the Thalassery biryani, I happened to visit Faiza and Chovakaran Moosa, an elderly couple based in Calicut, on the eve of their 40th wedding anniversary. I was wondering why the mutton pieces are separated from the rice before the biryani is served. Chovakaran came up with the most ingenious explanation: he said their biryani is a lot like marriage - you tie the knot, live together and eventually separate. That he evoked this analogy on the eve of his anniversary made the situation even more comic. I can never forget the look of contempt Faiza gave him! It was such an adorable moment. Thinking of it always makes me smile."

We ask Bahadur how she feels about biryani's continuing evolution, with fusions like the schezwan biryani and butter chicken biryani getting popular. "Though not opposed to experiments, I'm often appalled by the abominations that show up in the name of fusion. I prefer classic preparations of dishes that are well-made. But I also like being surprised. For instance, I tried a biryani martini in Bandra recently and enjoyed it for its sheer audacity! Reimagining dishes effectively entails tweaking ingredients and techniques without compromising the essence of the original dish. In the end, it's not about a classic vs fusion thing; it's about food that tastes good vs food that doesn't."

1966
Year when the vada pav is said to have been invented