In the competitive world of cookbooks, people are always on the lookout for a new angle to present a collection of recipes, so it's surprising that no one we've come across recently before Mridula Baljekar has thought of centring a book around traditional food served at Indian feasts.
Food is important in any culture, and celebratory feasts more so because they provide social references and underline cultural identity. There are 13 major annual festivals linked to religious celebrations in India, so Baljekar has a lot of territory to cover.
Interestingly, in addition to the indigenous Indian festivals, she has also included spiced-tinged dishes linked to Christmas and Easter. Purists might not approve of coriander-crusted chicken with mango and oven-roasted pecan nuts with chilli and cumin, but Baljekar defends their inclusion because of the popularity of Indian food in the UK.
There are 16 chapters, mostly linked to specific festivals but also including separate chapters on sectors like drinks, desserts and sweetmeats, and chutneys. A brief introduction by the author provides background to each festival and explains why certain foods and ingredients are linked to it.
For instance, the Punjabi festival of Lohiri is linked to the region's January harvests, and because mustard greens are grown extensively here, spiced dishes using this are common. In southern India, Pongal celebrates the rice harvests, so rice dishes are linked to this festival.
The book is obviously aimed at the home cook rather than the professional kitchen, so it's not a must-read for professional chefs. However, it provides a good introduction to the food of the Indian sub-continent, and is certainly a useful read for students.
Great Indian Feasts
Mridula Baljekar
John Blake, £14.99
ISBN 1-84454-141-X