Turmeric Nation

<p>Description</p><p>What exactly is 'Indian' food? Can it be classified by region or religion or</p><p>ritual? What are the culinary commonalities across the Indian subcontinent?</p><p>Do we Indians have a sense of collective self when it comes to cuisine? Or is</p><p>the pluralism in our food habits and choices the only identity we have ever</p><p>needed?</p><p>Turmeric Nation is an ambitious and insightful project which answers these</p><p>questions and then quite a few more. Through a series of fascinating essays-</p><p>delving into geography history myth sociology film literature and personal</p><p>experience-Shylashri Shankar traces the myriad patterns that have formed</p><p>Indian food cultures taste preferences and cooking traditions. From Dalit</p><p>'haldiya dal' to the last meal of the Buddha; from aphrodisiacs listed in the</p><p>Kama Sutra to sacred foods offered to gods and prophets; from the use of food</p><p>as a means of state control in contemporary India to the role of lemonade in</p><p>stoking rebellion in 19th-century Bengal; from the connection between death</p><p>and feasting and between fasting and pleasure this book offers a layered and</p><p>revealing portrait of India as a society and a nation through its enduring</p><p>relationship with food.</p>