Taste of India

by Madhur Jaffrey

Take a culinary tour of India. Visit each of India's 16 main culinary regions through anecdotes and recipes.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, India, Nonfiction, Reference

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Madhur Jaffrey CBE is an Indian-born actress, food and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006.

Reviews

[Andrew Schirmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I have cooked from this book has been splendid. Helpfully arranged by region, you can work your way through India, getting just a sample of each province. Published in 1985, its preambles to each region might be a bit dated, but the writing is extraordinarily evocative. "The chilis should only be eaten by those who know what they are doing." Indeed.

[Luckyfatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the US Indian cuisine equals saag paneer, naan, samosas, and the rest of the typical fare at our faux-Mughlai/Punjabi inspired buffets at Star of India Palace. Indian food is so different than what is available in most restaurants, but it is hard to get to know how and why for most non-Indians. A Taste of India introduces to readers what Indian food actually is: a diverse, extremely nuanced array of regional cuisines. A Taste of India introduces all of the main culinary regions of India, divided geographically. Each chapter introduces a region and explains what its respective staple grains, seasonings, and specialties are. Recipes for each region are included. I have cooked a lot from this book, and the recipes are excellent. Jaffrey does not ignore that each region is actually very culinarily diverse as well, and gives recipes from various ethnic and religious communities in each region as well. This book is a great gateway to getting to know Indian food as it is in India and in Indian homes.

[Bailey Reichenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful.

[Gail Fligstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to order this one right away (it was out of print, so it was hard to get). Jaffrey takes the reader on a guided culinary tour of India, state by state, region by region. I learned that Northern India eats wheat and millet, while the South depends more on rice. Much more of the country eats meat than I was aware. Most of the foods I am familiar with are from Mumbai, Hyderabaad and Punjab; that probably has to do with immigrants who have established restaurants in the US. I found her descriptions of cuisines to be slightly biased from her own class standpoint: she has fond memories of the servants preparing her food, for example, and she describes the food that people eat in palaces. It's interesting to learn that food was not eaten outside the home until modern times (1947) due to a Hindu taboo against eating food that was touched by another person. Of course, the many spices used in Indian cooking give it a character of its own. Indian food is based on many cultures, religions, customs, but the commonality is the use of many spices especially coriander, cumin, and peppers. This book will be used a lot in the kitchen, but it's also an interesting reference book with lots of colorful pictures.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Indian food and want to know everything from how to make your own garam masala to the right consistency of dal, this is definitely the book for you. It's really helpful and she gives you little tips ahead of time so as to avoid common cooking errors.

[Bertie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely perfect cookbook. I've been living with it for a few months and every single dish I've made from it has been a knockout.

[Jeremy Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first Indian cookbook I bought, shortly after my first trip to India when I was 18.

I can’t believe how lucky I was to fall on this when there are so many awful Indian cookbooks out there.

Have to give a call out to do piazza (a lamb dish with onions and mint). It’s the one dish I can serve to South Asian guests and hold my head high.

Get a copy if you can.

[Sunil Choudhary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing I love is the little story behind each of these Indian dishes as to what is the crux of each dish..(something that can not be replicated at places out of the original place of birth of these dishes.) I am very frequently reminded of how water itself can play a great role in giving a unique taste.

[Ritvek Rated · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not like the collection of recipes and content. Read only if the taste suits you.

[Sudhir Wani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madhur jaffrey is one of the expert chef of Indian cooking, her Indian dishes are perfect and very very tasty

[Umita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will never leave my bookshelf. I have been cooking from Madhur Jaffrey’s “A taste of India” for more than twenty years. This book introduced me to pan Indian cooking and I think it is still the reigning authority on the regional cuisines of India. Ms Jaffrey has clearly done an incredible amount of research while writing this book. And the best part is, she has got the recipes from the locals of the region - from the Begums of Hyderabad and from the fisherwomen of Maharashtra. This relatively slim volume is studded with gems: Yakhni Pulao, Dhaniwala Murgh from Kashmir, the superb Sindhi Sai Bhaji, Makkai nu Shak, Hyderabadi Qabooli... the list goes on. The recipes from this book have never failed me.If you have only one book on pan Indian cuisine, let it be this.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a random impulse buy for me from Half-Price Books and it has turned into the second-best recipe book I have ever, um, interacted with. The recipes are divided into regional cuisine, and Jaffrey does an excellent job explaining the influences and history behind many of the recipes and ingredients. So far my ratio of successes to failures from this book is running at 1:1, a rate that I can only aspire to in my career.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to South Asian cookery. Jaffrey's region-by-region approach is a good tool for orienting the (want to make a joke here) un-(or under-)initiated on the cardinals. Chapters begin with the author's rich and evocative food&culture travelogues and emphasize the fundamentals of that region's cuisine.

The primary criticisms I would anticipate are that the number of recipes is limited, and such a sweeping treatment invariably overlooks numerous regional specialties.

[Brian Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book that catches the tastes, colurs and touch of India. Each of the areas presented – Delhi with Punjab & Haryana, Uttar Pradesh with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kashmir, Bengal,Hyderabad, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Kerala – begin by painting the spirit of the country, flavoured by festival or Ms Jaffreys own childhood past, and painting like photos , that brings the recipes to life.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun tour of India cuisines. If you have a chance to get this book and cook your way around its map, you're in for a treat as you munch away and decide if you're more into Hyderabad or Kerala tastes.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Madhur Jaffrey book on Indian cooking I have with recipes from all over India, adapted for the American cook Everything works beautifully even if you can't get all the spices...Martha Moses

[Laurab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains loads of interesting historical and cultural information about India. I want to go every place she writes about and eat practically every recipe. I am getting hungry and my travel jones is kicking in, just thinking about it.

[Alanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred Jaffrey's Illustrated Indian Cookery to this book. There are many of the same recipes but this books focuses more on a discussion of each region and its cuisine and then just a few recipes for each region. Not purely a recipe book.

[Evelyn Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book I’ve had since it was first published. She weaves food and colourful descriptions of India so convincingly that one can smell the spice. This is a book one never “Finishes” it's in frequent use.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is wonderfully old school: Madhur Jaffrey is young and fetching, and the text assumes curry leaves aren't available in the US.

[Melvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew that so much Indian food is fried?

[Fing Fong · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best goddamn Indian cookbook I done ever read.