Book description
'I was born in a sprawling house by the Yamuna River in Delhi. When I
was a few minutes old, Grandmother welcomed me into the world by
writing "Om", which means "I am" in Sanskrit, on
my tongue with a little finger dipped in honey. When the family priest
arrived to draw up my horoscope, he scribbled astrological symbols on
a long scroll and set down a name for me, Indrani, or "queen of
the heavens". My father ignored him completely and proclaimed my
name was to be Madhur ("sweet as honey").'
So begins Madhur Jaffrey's enchanting memoir of her childhood in
India. Her description of growing up a in a very large, wealthy family
(half a train was booked to transport the family from Delhi to the
mountains for the summer) conjures up the spirit of a long lost age.
Whether climbing the mango trees in her grandparents' orchard, armed
with a mixture of salt, pepper, red chillies and roasted cumin, or
enjoying picnics in the foothills of the Himalayas, reached by foot,
rickshaw, palanquin or horse, where meatballs stuffed with sultanas
and mint leaves, cauliflowers flavoured with ginger and coriander, and
spiced pooris with hot green mango pickle were devoured, food forms a
major leitmotiv of this beautifully written memoir. With recipes drawn
from memories of dinners, lunches, breakfasts, weddings and picnics,
moving effortlessly from the lamb meatballs of Moghul emperors to the
tamarind chutneys of the streets, this book will appeal to keen
armchair cooks, as well as fans of Madhur the world over.
Now regarded by many as the world authority on Indian food, Madhur
Jaffrey is an award-winning actress and bestselling cookery author. Her
first book,
An Invitation to Indian Cookery
, was published in 1973 and her series for BBC television Madhur
Jaffrey's
Indian Cookery
made her a household name. She has appeared in over 20 films, including
Merchant Ivory's
Heat and Dust
, and written over 15 cookery books, including
Madhur Jaffrey's
Ultimate Curry Bible
(2003), published by Ebury Press.
