Friends Compile Indian Family Recipes in New Cookbook
Why this is here: The cookbook includes recipes preserved only in oral tradition, documenting them in print for the first time and ensuring their survival for future generations.
Aysha Tanya and Anisha Rachel Oommen compiled 40 family recipes into a book titled ‘A Kitchen of One’s Own.’ The book grew from their 2016 digital archive, Goya, which documents home cooking across India. Recipes include a 200-year-old meat and dumpling dish called Thakkadi from Tirunelveli, and a raw mango condiment called mavin gojju.
The authors collaborated with Shruti Taneja of Nivaala, who sought to preserve family recipes after losing her mother. Contributors to the cookbook come from diverse backgrounds including marine biology and history.
The book aims to be more than a recipe collection. It includes space for readers to add their own family recipes, creating a lasting heirloom. The project was crowdfunded, raising 10 lakh rupees.