A Taste of My Life
15 December 2021Synopsis
'Chitrita Banerji is an absolute master of the difficult art of writing autobiographically about food' Amitav Ghosh
‘A book of complex flavours: by turns sad and joyous’ Arvind Krishna Mehrotra
'A delightful anthology by a gifted writer' Pushpesh Pant
From a two-time winner of a Sophie Coe Award in Food History
One of the most celebrated culinary historians of our time, Chitrita Banerji grew up in a Calcutta home devoted to food. From there she went to Harvard as a graduate student, then to Dhaka soon after the 1971 India–Pakistan war, and later returned to the US, the passage of these years inspiring a fecund writing career.
In this memoir, styled like a three-course meal with an ironic twist, she offers an absorbing portrait of a life that has intermingled with food in moving and unexpected ways. Through vividly evoked repasts with family, and other meaningful gastronomic encounters in settings both personal and political, Banerji reveals how food has played a defining role in her experiences of love, adventure, conflict, loss and reconciliation. In the process, she introduces us to those dishes and drinks most special to her – Kadam Bhai’s duck bhuna, her father’s favourite tea, winter treats such as narkel naru, a chicken sandwich from memoryland – and charms us throughout with her sublime and enchanting prose.
Details
15 December 2021
9789389109856Reviews
Praise for A Taste of My Life
'Chitrita Banerji is an absolute master of the difficult art of writing autobiographically about food; she has very few equals in this field' Amitav Ghosh
‘A book of complex flavours: by turns sad and joyous,
It leaves you licking your fingers and hungry for more’ Arvind Krishna Mehrotra
'Can anyone "taste" someone else's life? It is difficult enough to recollect aromas and flavours – ephemeral sensual delights – savoured by oneself. But, with the help of a gifted illusionist, one can indeed travel back in time and across geographies to share the dreams, sorrows and joys of someone else. This is what Chitrita Banerji has accomplished in her delightful anthology of "remembrances of things past"' Pushpesh Pant
Praise for Chitrita Banerji
‘[Banerji is] a wonderful food writer’ Gastronomica
‘Chitrita Banerji is one of those rare writers who can tease the meaning out of ordinary foods without ever seeming trivial, pretentious or self-indulgent ... [She] peels back the husk of triviality to reveal the history, culture, and emotional ballast that can reside in even the most everyday dish’ Gourmet's Choptalk
‘One of the most evocative of Indian food writers, blending an exact understanding of techniques with an abiding curiosity about the many human stories behind the art of food’ India Today
