Page-turner of the culinary kinds

Food Itrsquos a topic that can easily liven up the mind and mood on a drab midweek afternoon when all one can see in the horizon are deadlines This wakeup moment gets even more savoury when a cookbook arrives at our desk mdash especially the variety that is filled with intriguing lesserknown recipes sourced out from farflung corners of India Delish Therersquos a heartening trend where publishers have been whipping up recipecook books that celebrate the flavours ingredients and smells of diverse regions and communities spread across the country Representation pic In one of our columns from a few months ago we had highlighted the lack of bigticket restaurants in the city that served regional cuisine Playing safe seemed to be the mantra in these economicallyuncertain times Since then we havenrsquot noticed too much of a change in that department on the cityrsquos foodscape However our food writers and publishers seem to think otherwise and thank god for this For a while now wersquove been noticing a heartening trend where publishers and writers have been whipping up recipecook books that celebrate the flavours ingredients and smells of distinctly diverse regions and numerous communities spread across the length and breadth of the country And itrsquos not just the obvious ones that pay tribute to an entire state or a region whose cuisine might have already been showcased by specialty restaurants read Keralite Chettinad Bengali but also peculiar and distinct subcultures and styles For example the Syrian Christian community offers a lipsmacking cuisine that is blessed with loads of flavourfilled recipes cooking techniques and influences Other mentions must be made here of East Indian Awadhi Kayastha CKP and Konkani recipe books that did more than its bit to whet the appetite Some time back we were even treated to a lavish coffee table book on royal cuisines of India While the packaging production recipes and stunning photography were a standout what perhaps was the best takehome was the information about customs lesserread traditions and serving cultures that exist in these royal kitchens that are otherwise off bounds for most foodies Which brings us to another delish observation mdash writers and publishers are taking great pains to ensure that these titles go beyond being mere recipe books the predictable recipe visual format There are footnotes forewords for each recipe crisp recipes with optional ingredients glossaries cooking techniques and family anecdotes stirred into a delightful melting pot This is a godsend for the incorrigible home chef always in search of new recipes and flavours where she or he doesnrsquot have to be enslaved by again predictable TV cooking shows that tend to sometimes dilute the essence of the real deal with exotic locales and even more exotic looking hosts who double up as experts at the flash of an apron Whatrsquos on our wish list The North East the Himalayan belt central India with all its countless faceless communities and tribes and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Anybody listed that down Until that happens we are sure itrsquos just a matter of time before another big juicy cookbook lands up to add a bit of spice and dash of zing to our working afternoons mdash The writer is Features Editoru00a0MiD DAYu00a0