I took on this project with enthusiasm, not realizing how challenging it would prove to be. Writing my previous book for Reaktion, Curry: A Global History, I was faced with a surfeit of books on the subject. For this book the problem was the opposite. Why the history of Indian food has been so neglected is a mystery, but I’m grateful to my publisher, Michael Leaman, for suggesting that I try my hand at writing one.
I owe a great debt to various people who helped me, although of course any mistakes and omissions are entirely my own. My husband, Ashish Sen, read the manuscript several times, translated passages, and made many excellent comments and suggestions. Professor David Gitomer reviewed several chapters, tactfully pointing out my errors. I once again owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Helen Saberi for her always perceptive comments and encouraging words, and to Bruce Kraig for his thoughtful review. Professor Marcia Harmansen, Peggy Mohan, Charles Perry, Mary Isin, Shahrzad Ghorasian, Jayant Sukhadia, Dr Kantha Shelke and Ammini Ramachandran generously shared their expertise. Special thanks to my friends in India, Mamta Chandra, Vivek Batra, Bappa and Anu Ray, Mridula and Prakash Seth, V. P. Rajesh, Peggy and Dinesh Mohran, Suresh Hinduja and Chef Shaun Kenworthy. And, despite the omnipresence of the Internet, librarians remain the researcher’s greatest resource. I owe a great debt to Carol Worster of the Gas Technology Institute, James Nye of the University of Chicago and Catherine Wilson of the Chicago Public Libraries.
Since my first visit in 1972, I’ve been to India fifteen times and travelled around the country. One of my inspirations and models was my late mother-in-law, Arati Sen, a prominent journalist and food writer. However, much of my experience with Indian food comes from my long residence in Chicago. My husband and I live within walking distance of Devon Avenue, North America’s most concentrated South Asian shopping and dining area and a constantly changing kaleidoscope of ethnicities and establishments. Our friends in many communities have invited us to share their meals, participate in their festivals and attend their houses of worship, providing a range of culinary experiences that would be difficult to experience so readily in India itself. To them especially I owe thanks.