By Anahita Shams Is there a Zoroastrian connection? Music, poetry and wine-drinking at the court of 17th Century Persian ruler Shah Abbas Until the Islamic revolution, Iran had a tradition of wine-making which stretched back centuries. It centred on the ancient city of Shiraz – but is there a connection between the place and the […]
I was at a modern food superstore in Bandra, Mumbai’s swish suburb, the other day. I walked past rows of imported gourmet cheeses, pastas and meats when I suddenly spotted a group of blue coloured packs which looked as if they were cheerfully waving at me. A closer inspection showed that they were packs of […]
Globe-trotting TV chef Anthony Bourdain talked to Vogue India after the launch of his new website Explore Parts Unknown, and he had some shade to throw at his hometown food scene. Though Bourdain loves Indian food, he claims that New York doesn’t have a single Indian restaurant that he likes: Back home, we are really […]
DINING From hearty Italian, to aromatic Indian to the piquant spices of fine Chinese, fine-dining restaurants at Taj Lands End, Mumbai, will make you travel the world. Savour each unique recipe perfected. Whether it’s cooking up innovative dishes or infusing recipes with genuine flavours, winner of the Best Lady Chef, Amninder Sandhu continues […]
Photo courtesy Michael Files Fathers, mothers and grandmothers still figure in the new wave of Indian restaurants showing up around metro Atlanta. But family tradition is a touchstone rather than a millstone, nowadays. And please don’t bring up those bad old memories of face-stuffing buffets set to wailing sitar soundtracks, or you just might elicit […]
by Meenakshi Iyer, Hindustan Times, Mumbai Since its opening in Gurgaon two years ago, SodaBottleOpenerWala (SBOW) has enjoyed good reviews from patrons and critics alike. Whether it is the décor — complete with a make-believe family tree of Rustom SodaBottleOpenerWala (the Parsi mascot who appears on plates, coasters and stirrers) — or the menu, that […]
For most of us, the upcoming Gudi Padwa weekend will be the last of the long weekends (unless of course you are one of those lucky chaps who also have the Ram Navmi weekend off). This will follow an almost three-and-a-half month drought of public holidays that will extend all the way up to the […]
Udvada Where The Fires Are Always Burning The holy town of Udvada is where the sacred fire of the Iranshah Atashbehram is burning since Zoroastrians came to India, writes CYRUS H. MERCHANT. And outside, in small Parsi homes and a lonely bakery, a different kind of fire burns, keeping the community’s cuisine alive, says MARK […]
Played and sung by Zane Commissariat. Dhansak in the Night . . . . . [Sing to the tune of – ‘Strangers in the Night’] Dhansak in the night . . . Sali boti ‘nay Daru pi ne tight Curry-ma kolmi . . . mothi-mothi Then everything is all right . . . . When […]
Chef Jehangir Mehta opened Graffiti in the East Village of New York City in 2007 after being highly acclaimed at New York City restaurants including Aix, Compass, and Jean-Georges. It all started when, much to the amusement of his family’s maids and cooks, Mumbai-born Jehangir took an interest in the goings-on of the kitchen. […]
by Meher Mirza Cyrus Dotivala talks to Zororoots participants at Surat’s Dotivala Bakery. Photograph from Zoroastrian Return to Roots team I’m going to be honest with you. I’m a Parsi but I’ve always had a somewhat tenuous love for Parsi food. Of course I liked the odd dish here and there—dhan-dar chawal, […]
Instead of booking a table at a city Bawa eatery on Parsi new year, drive to Udwada for boi, dal-chawal and patio 1. The Hormuzd Bakery stall outside Iranshah Atash Behram stocks crumbly nankhatais and spongy bhakras; 2. Breakfast at Ahura: Parsi poro, akuri and salli par eedu with fresh pav make a jumbo breakfast at […]
