Ayurveda · 1 min read
A Kitchen Notebook Worth Passing On
An old recipe that says “a little” may frustrate the next reader, yet that phrase can be the beginning of a good interview. Hand the original cook an empty…
Read articleThe culture journal
Stories, places & everyday traditions
Explore Indian heritage through clear introductions to sacred places, thoughtful readings of familiar texts, and practical guides to living traditions.
217 articles
Ayurveda · 1 min read
How to Read an Ayurvedic Product Label
Turn the packet over before reading the promises on its front. Can you identify the ingredients, the maker, the batch, the date and the intended use? If the information…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
What a Mortar and Pestle Can Tell Us
A steel mixer may sit on the counter while a small stone mortar remains within reach. The question is not which tool is more authentic. Ask what the cook…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
A Tulsi Plant Has More Than One Biography
A household tulsi may have arrived as a cutting from a neighbour rather than as a purchase. One person remembers watering it before school; another remembers the courtyard where…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Turmeric Between the Wedding Bowl and the Spice Tin
The yellow on a wedding cloth and the yellow in a pot of dal may come from the same familiar spice. Yet a photograph of a haldi ceremony is…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Ginger in Two Jars: Adu and Sunth
Fresh ginger bends the conversation towards texture. Snap a piece and you can see fibres; grate it and juice wets the board. Dried ginger powder leaves an entirely different…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Ghee: Three Different Things a Recipe Might Mean
A spoonful of ghee on hot rotli has a visible job: it melts, spreads and carries an aroma. In another passage, ghee may be the base of a prepared…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Khichdi Is a Family of Dishes
Ask three people what khichdi looks like when it is ready. One may describe grains that still hold their shape, another a soft mixture that slips from a spoon.…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Six Tastes at a Gujarati Table
Taste a spoonful of dal before and after adding lemon. The second spoonful offers a small lesson in rasa: a dish need not belong to just one taste. Ayurvedic…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Ritucharya and the First Monsoon Market
The first sign of a new season in a kitchen may be a change on the vegetable cart. A familiar green disappears; another arrives in bundles too large for…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Dinacharya When the Day Starts at Night
The phrase daily routine can conjure up a quiet dawn that many households have never had. A nurse finishing a night shift and a parent getting children to school…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
Dhatu: Why Translators Disagree About Tissue
Imagine labelling a museum illustration of the body. The Sanskrit term asthi fits fairly comfortably beside the English word bone. Other labels are less tidy. Rasa, for example, can…
Read article