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Tiffin: Memories and Recipes of Indian Vegetarian Food
by
As I dug into my memory for those snacks or tiffin, I recalled the many anecdotes and narratives about the people and places associated with these recipes, My replies grew into lengthy stories and my girls loved them. ‘Amma, send us more recipes for tiffin,' they wrote, Those stories were rambling and multifaceted and they are all here in my book.
‘Tiffin', derived from ‘ti ...more
‘Tiffin', derived from ‘ti ...more
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Kindle Edition, 352 pages
Published
July 1st 2015
by Rupa Publications India
(first published January 1st 2015)
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Start your review of Tiffin: Memories and Recipes of Indian Vegetarian Food
Am no great cook, but I love reading about food and stories involving food. So when I came across this title in a friend's bookshelf here in Goodreads, I was piqued.
Rukmini Srinivasan (Rukka) is not a familiar persona. But she soon became familiar via her anecdotes and reminiscences involving food and the various circumstances involving specific recipes. Via her I came to know of many people, many customs and habits, and travelled all over India, Britain and USA. I feel like cooking , though I d ...more
Rukmini Srinivasan (Rukka) is not a familiar persona. But she soon became familiar via her anecdotes and reminiscences involving food and the various circumstances involving specific recipes. Via her I came to know of many people, many customs and habits, and travelled all over India, Britain and USA. I feel like cooking , though I d ...more
Rukmini Srinivas brings together nostalgia, good food, and enchanting anecdotes in this wonderful memoir. Well, it's technically not a memoir but bits and pieces from Rukmini's own life and from the lives of the people around her. Her chosen recipes are also mostly lovely and depict the best of South Indian (mostly, Tamil) cooking.
A lot of the stories read like the ones my own patti (maternal grandmother) would tell me. My patti is only a couple of years younger than Rukmini and they belong to ...more
A lot of the stories read like the ones my own patti (maternal grandmother) would tell me. My patti is only a couple of years younger than Rukmini and they belong to ...more
This book is a literary and culinary delight, the anecdotes and experiences shared in between make the recipes given in the book more personal and interesting. It is rare to find such writings especially in a time where everything that can be cooked and eaten is up on the internet, on the blog or television shows. Master Chefs and what not! This book is beyond all that, it compelled me to go and hug my mother and grandmother for their dosas, idlis, chutney, sambhar, paysam and all the love that
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I love food. I go on travel expeditions in search of food - my last trip to Madurai being a case in point. One of the sources of my deepest sadness in life is when health issues intervene and I can't quite eat the way I want to. But I can read about food all I want, can't I? Rukmini Srinivas has written a delightful food memoir - an ode to the joys of South Indian food.
Selling at a ridiculously low price on Amazon, I chanced upon 'Tiffin' and I was immediately hooked. Rukmini has led a rich and ...more
Selling at a ridiculously low price on Amazon, I chanced upon 'Tiffin' and I was immediately hooked. Rukmini has led a rich and ...more
May 19, 2016
Srujan
rated it
really liked it
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review of another edition
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A very warm and honest memoir on life and how food touches small, seemingly unimportant things in our lives but imprints you with last memories and mindsets. I have not tried the recipes and if I would be completely honest, I often skipped over the recipe to continue reading the next chapter ( of her life, of her book! ). ☺ The tone of the book is warm and happy, but doesn't for once sound pompous or extremely didactic. What I loved the most was the fact that though it was a cookbook, she wasn't
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This is how it's done. This is how precious memories are preserved and passed on because memories are like recipes. They need to be told and retold. Rukmini Srinivas'book takes us through her childhood and adulthood, her family and friends, and the food that surrounded them at all times. We often express pride when we try out our grandmother's recipe but mostly we never know how she got the recipe herself or her memories surrounding it.
Rukka, as she is known to everyone, transports us to her wo ...more
Rukka, as she is known to everyone, transports us to her wo ...more
In a day and age where cookbooks have photos enough to give you an idea on how each recipe will look like, the book is heavy on prose and less on photos.
I liked the fact that the recipes are all traditional ones, but the format of the book fails the content.
I liked the fact that the recipes are all traditional ones, but the format of the book fails the content.
What a book. Nostalgia well captured! It was such a pleasure to read about the food scene in the 40s and 50s in a South Indian household, and the book captures her life experiences in various part of the world in spreading Indian vegetarian cooking. Simply brilliant read.
What a delightful read! So many stories and following them are some authentic south Indian and a bit of other regional recipes. I virtually experienced the post Independence era bazaars in Chennai, Jabalpur, New Delhi, how it was to travel by train during those days, how was Tanjore, the kind of ingredients available during those days, how the US was during those times, and above all how people were more harmonious, helpful and ready share things with each other. Each recipe is so unique and aut
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Rukmini Srinivas with her soulful writing and recipes brings alive the warmth of an Indian kitchen in her book. A septuagenarian who has had rich life experiences with a father in military services and later, having married a sociologist, she writes lovingly of travels and life through India and the world, while never compromising on cooking and sharing vegetarian Indian food. The author, herself, seems a woman way ahead of her times, having been a geography teacher in eminent colleges in India,
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Every lover of South Indian food should have this gem of a book !😍.Mouthwatering pictures,excellent and clearly explained recipes and heart warming anecdotes.Food is all about memories and this book is testimony to that.Reading this was like listening to a favorite piece of music again and again.I keep reading it once in a while either to try new recipes or just to enjoy bits of it again and satisfy my food cravings.Thank you ,rukmini srinivas for sharing your memories and food ..😍They are both
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A must read for food enthusiasts! Tiffin is a memoir / recipe book that brings to life the humble Indian kitchen. The author has captured the very essence of the Indian way of life -how every event / activity is associated with food. Coming back home from school to ma's soulful yet hearty meals, the intensely hot summers made bearable by the amazing buttermilk, the train journeys that were incomplete without snacking.. It was a joy to read the book. Also, the recipes are a bonus.
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This is a book I keep going back to and read. Its warm and fuzzy with people we can relate to easily. Annam athai reminds me of own aunt and the ritual purity of her own kitchen and it reminded my mom of hers.
This is a book over which me and my mom bonded over, reading out parts of it to her and having a good laugh.
The characters make me smile and sometimes frustrated with the similarities in South Indian families.
Its definitely more than a cookbook.
This is a book over which me and my mom bonded over, reading out parts of it to her and having a good laugh.
The characters make me smile and sometimes frustrated with the similarities in South Indian families.
Its definitely more than a cookbook.
Nostalgia Galore
Filled with recepies for homemade and familiarly mouthwatering comfort food garnished with stories and details which take you back to your grandparents home. Truly delicious!
Filled with recepies for homemade and familiarly mouthwatering comfort food garnished with stories and details which take you back to your grandparents home. Truly delicious!
Enjoyed the way this book is written - a combination of recipes and memories... brought back the memories of my grandmother's, my aunts and my mum's cooking... and my summer vacations with my cousins.
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Wonderfully written. I so loved reading about India those times also the memories :)
The book made me want to reach out to the author and thank her for preserving this legacy. I read it cover to cover within a day because.. We'll.. Food and anecdotes tied to familiar recipes and a peek into yesteryear India. Highly recommend it for anyone who loves traditional cooking or cooking of any kind.
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The author as-of-today is 93 years old. She wrote this book 5 years back.
Have you ever sat down with your mother or your grandmother or an elderly and they teach you skills via stories from their or someone else's life? If you know this experience, this book is a voyage down Rukka's (fondly called so) memory lane. She does not bother the reader with stories of pre or post Independence era but keeps the memories sweet and shares endearing snippets around the recipes she brings up at the end of e ...more
Have you ever sat down with your mother or your grandmother or an elderly and they teach you skills via stories from their or someone else's life? If you know this experience, this book is a voyage down Rukka's (fondly called so) memory lane. She does not bother the reader with stories of pre or post Independence era but keeps the memories sweet and shares endearing snippets around the recipes she brings up at the end of e ...more
Tiffin is a cute book by Rukmini Srinivas which feels much like listening to stories from my Paati (grandmother) or Thatha (grandfather). The fact that the author and I share the same village was a point of bonding too.
Each chapter is a small anecdote describing in simple words how life felt like in the 1940s or 1980s perhaps. At the epicentre of each story is food, a special dish, which most probably is the protagonist in truest sense. And the recipe for that dish follows the chapter. If you ar ...more
Each chapter is a small anecdote describing in simple words how life felt like in the 1940s or 1980s perhaps. At the epicentre of each story is food, a special dish, which most probably is the protagonist in truest sense. And the recipe for that dish follows the chapter. If you ar ...more
Loved the book. Please check out my review here. https://premraostoryteller.com/2016/0...
...more
Be prepared to salivate as you read through this delicious book. Precious family recipes are shared too! What a treat!
This is one of rare lovely heart warming books, which remind you of your childhood and makes you cherish everyone who was a part of making it. Ironically enough, it made me wonder if my life and those of modern kids will ever be as rich as those of our parents and grandparents. Despite much fewer means spread out among a much larger brood, people seemed to have been putting a lot of more effort into things they did to keep themselves entertained and busy. The rich stories that evolved out this e
...more
Book 32 of 2020 - Tiffin by Rukmini Srinivas ji - a story feast sprinkled with gastronomic delights! Such a warm read this was. The book elaborates on the author's road to discovering food and the recipes that she dished out to the pleasure of all her friends and acquaintances in India and abroad Oh! And by the way, there is also a mention of a famous Indian writer whose works we all grew up reading. Read to find more and get an insight into the life of that wonderful author too! A wonderful boo
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What a journey!
I started reading the book expecting a lot of recipes, but what I got was lots and lots of stories, memories from a bygone era, that are so touching, funny and heartwarming. The accompanying photos and the impeccable English in which the book is written... Overall, it was a great experience reading this book, although, fair warning, it is quite long 😊
I started reading the book expecting a lot of recipes, but what I got was lots and lots of stories, memories from a bygone era, that are so touching, funny and heartwarming. The accompanying photos and the impeccable English in which the book is written... Overall, it was a great experience reading this book, although, fair warning, it is quite long 😊
Best cookery book
The book is inspiring. I really liked the book as the book contains mixture of autobiography,cookery,indian culture and tradition. The book was presented nicely. Super !!!!
The book is inspiring. I really liked the book as the book contains mixture of autobiography,cookery,indian culture and tradition. The book was presented nicely. Super !!!!
Wow!!! Just Wow!!
Food stories with a lot of anecdotes in between.. The author relives her childhood and early youth while writing this book, hence proving that each and every memory has its own special taste..
Food stories with a lot of anecdotes in between.. The author relives her childhood and early youth while writing this book, hence proving that each and every memory has its own special taste..
May 14, 2020
Prasanth Prabhu
added it
A wonderful book
It is absolutely a delight to read this book - a rambling but fun autobiographical jottings woven around tiffin interpersed with recepies of mouth watering dishes. Loved the stories and the food.
It is absolutely a delight to read this book - a rambling but fun autobiographical jottings woven around tiffin interpersed with recepies of mouth watering dishes. Loved the stories and the food.
A warm collection of stories centered around food
The book goes in to details of personal exchanges between the author and her child. Far cry from what I thought the topic of the book suggested.
Beautifully description of situations. While reading this book I could feel floating along the memories. Simple recipes to follow and very handy. Totally loved it
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