Book Description
As the pungent fragrance of spices transports the author back into memories of childhood, we too are plunged headlong into the rich tastes, textures and colors of food in her native Bengal. Here, food is a ritualized and intrinsic part of the culture, particularly of the culture of women's lives. Beyond the meals prepared and cooked for everyday life, food offerings blessed by the gods are shared by devotees in daily ceremonies of worship, special dishes are cooked on auspicious days, and ritual ways of preparing foods are carefully mastered. Combining social critique with the intimacy of memoir, Banerji writes of growing up from girlhood to womanhood in Bengal, a land where food and ritual are intimate experiences which shape day-to-day life.
About the Author
Chitrita Banerji is author of Life and Food in Bengal (London, 1991; Delhi 2005), and Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals (London, 1997), as well as of numerous articles in The Boston Globe, Granta (London), Gastronomica (Berkeley), The Phoenix (Boston), Boston Magazine, Calyx (Corvallis, Oreg.), and Petits Propos Culinaires (London). She has presented papers and received awards at the prestigious Oxford Food Symposium.
Reader Reviews
.cmPage .newness {
color: #090;
font-weight: bold;
}
.cmPage .qty {
color: #666;
}
.cmPage {
font-size: 12px;
}
.cmPage a {
text-decoration:none;
}
.cmPage a:hover {
text-decoration:underline;
color: #c60;
}
.cmPage em {
font-weight: bold;
font-style: normal;
}
.cmPage h1 {
font-size: 1.5em;
margin: 0 0 5px 0;
}
.cmPage h1 .subtitle {
font-size: .77em;
font-weight: normal;
}
.cmPage h1 .title {
color: #c60;
}
.cmPage h3 {
font-size: 1.04em;
margin: 0;
}
.cmPage h5 {
color: #036;
font-size: 1.04em;
font-weight: normal;
margin: 0;
}
.cmPage .cmBreadcrumb {
font-size: .86em;
margin-top: 5px;
color: #333;
}
.cmPage .content {
margin-top:8px;
}
.cmPage .helpBlock,
.cmPage .reportBlock {
font-size: .86em;
text-align:right;
float:right;
margin-top: 2px;
}
.cmPage .helpBlock img {
margin-top: 3px;
}
.cmPage hr {
clear:both;
}
.cmPage .productBlock {
font-size:.86em;
padding: 0 3px 12px 3px;
}
.cmPage .topBlock {
height:2.5em;
}
.cmPage .bottomBlock {
height:2.5em;
}
.cmPage .pagination {
padding:3px 0 3px 0;
color: #666;
}
.cmPage .pagination a {
padding: 3px;
}
.cmPage .pagination a.on, .cmPage .pagination a:hover {
border: 1px solid #c60;
color: #c60;
background-color:white;
text-decoration:none;
padding: 2px;
}
.cmPage .pagination a:hover {
background-color:transparent;
}
.cmPage .twoColumnLeft {
float:left;
width: 55%;
padding-right:10px;
}
.cmPage .twoColumnRight {
float:left;
width: 40%;
}
.cmPage ul.photoBlock li {
float:left;
width: 60px;
height: 60px;
margin: 0 10px 5px 0;
text-align: center;
}
.cmPage .bucketFooter {
clear: both;
margin: 5px 0 5px 0;
}
.cmPage .newness, .cmPage td.newness {
color: #090;
font-weight: bold;
}
.cmPage ul.profileBlock li {
float:left;
width:17%;
height:110px;
text-align:center;
font-size: .86em;
color: #666;
margin-right:10px;
}
.cmPage ul.profileBlock li .photo {
height: 72px;
}
.cmPage ul.horizListBlock li {
font-size: .82em;
clear:left;
}
.cmPage ul.horizListBlock li .listTitle {
font-size: 1.2em;
}
.cmPage ul.horizListBlock li .photo {
float:left;
padding: 0 7px 10px 0;
}
.cmPage .searchHeader {
border: 1px solid #5c9ebf;
padding:3px;
height:21px;
background: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/images/gui/tile-blue-bg._V46870869_.gif)
background-repeat: repeat-x;
background-color: #b7d7e6;
}
.tigerTL {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/images/gui/box-gray-tl._V46860898_.gif);
}
.tigerTC {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/images/gui/box-gray-tm._V46916078_.gif);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.tigerTR {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/images/gui/box-gray-tr._V46908940_.gif);
font-size: 4px;
}
.tigerBL {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/images/gui/box-gray-bl._V46888659_.gif);
font-size: 4px;
}
.tigerBC {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/images/gui/box-gray-bm._V46894741_.gif);
background-repeat: repeat-x;
font-size: 4px;
}
.tigerBR {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/images/gui/box-gray-br._V46862249_.gif);
font-size: 4px;
}
.tigerTL td, .tigerTC td, .tigerTR td, .tigerBL td, .tigerBC td, .tigerBR td {
background:none;
background-color:white;
}
/* START ADDED FROM DETAIL PAGE */
table.secondaryBox td.topLeft {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/dp/box-line-tl2._V46891984_.gif);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
padding-top: 6px;
padding-left: 12px;
}
table.secondaryBox td.topRight {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/dp/box-line-tr2._V46916405_.gif);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
}
table.secondaryBox td.bottomLeft {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/dp/box-line-bl._V46906062_.gif);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
font-size: 4px;
}
table.secondaryBox td.bottomRight {
background-image: url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/nav2/dp/box-line-br._V46882871_.gif);
background-repeat: no-repeat;
font-size: 4px;
}
/* END ADDED FROM DETAIL PAGE */
.cmPage .popover {
border:2px solid #EDEDD3;
padding: 10px;
}
.cmPage .popover .title {
font-size: .86em;
color: #c60;
}
.cmPage .plink {
text-decoration:underline;
}
.cdTPop {
font-size: 13px;
}
.cdTPop .cmPage a {
font-size: 1.0em;
text-decoration:none;
}
.cdTPop .cmPage a:hover {
font-size: 1.0em;
text-decoration:underline;
color: #c60;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid td,
.cmPage .dataGrid th {
text-align:left;
font-weight: normal;
border-bottom: 1px solid #ccc;
padding: 4px 10px 4px 0;
font-size: .64em;
color: #666;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .lastRowNoSep td {
border-bottom: 0;
padding-bottom: 0;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .num {
text-align:right;
padding-right:20px;
white-space: nowrap;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .title {
font-size: .82em;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .title .dgSubtitle {
font-size: .72em;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .icon {
text-align:center;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .icon a {
display:block;
padding: 5px;
width:100%;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .iconImg {
visibility: hidden;
}
.cmPage .dataGrid .newness {
color: #090;
font-weight: bold;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox {
width: 460px;
padding: 0px 0px 0px 7px;
margin: 0px 0px 0px 7px;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox a {
text-decoration:none;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox a:hover {
text-decoration:underline;
color: #c60;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox em {
font-weight: bold;
font-style: normal;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox h5 {
color: #c60;
font-size: 1.04em;
font-weight: normal;
margin: 0;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox .cdPostBoxBucket {
background: #cbddf5 url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/gradient-postbox-bottom._V47081675_.gif) repeat-x center;
border-bottom: 1px solid #a1bed3;
text-align: center;
padding: 0.5em 0;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox div.cdFormRow {
width: 100%;
clear: both;
margin: 0;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox .cdPostBoxInputs {
width: 100%;
margin: 0.5em 0;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox .cdPromptWrapper {
text-align: center;
float: left;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox .cdGuidelinesLink {
margin: 0.5em 0;
font-size: 0.8em;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox textarea {
height: 8em;
font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-size: 1.0em;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox text {
font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-size: small;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox .cdPostError {
color: red;
}
.cmPage .cdPostBox .cdPromptFor {
font-size: 9px;
}
#cdPostBoxExpander {
display: block;
}
.cdBox-grayLine {
padding:8 0;
}
.cdBox-grayLine .cdHEAD {
color:#c60;
font-weight:bold;
text-align:center;
padding:4 0;
}
.cdBox-grayLine .cdSEP {
padding:5 0;
}
.cdBox-grayLine .cdSEP hr {
display:none;
}
.cdBox-grayLine .titleBlock {
font-weight:bold;
text-align:center;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdTL {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-tl._V47082201_.gif);
background-repeat:none;
font-size:4;
width:12;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdTC {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-tm._V47060376_.gif);
background-repeat:repeat-x;
font-size:4;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdTR {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-tr._V47082161_.gif);
background-repeat:none;
font-size:4;
width:12;
height:12;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdML {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-mm._V47082221_.gif);
background-repeat:none;
font-size:4;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdMC {
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdMR {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-rm._V47082059_.gif);
background-repeat:none;
font-size:4;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdBL {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-bl._V47082373_.gif);
font-size:4;
width:12;
height:12;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdBC {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-bm._V47060488_.gif);
background-repeat:repeat-x;
font-size:4;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdBR {
background-image:url(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/box-gray-br._V47060956_.gif);
background-repeat:none;
font-size:4;
width:12;
}
.cdBox-grayLine td.cdMC {
background:none;
}
.cmPage .smQty {
color: #666;
font-size: .8em;
}
.cmPage ul.smallList li {
font-size:.86em;
padding-top: 2px;
padding-bottom: 3px;
_padding-bottom: 2px;
white-space: normal;
}
.cmPage .cdRFList {
padding-left: 10px;
}
.cmPage .cdRFHeadingWithoutBox {
padding: 8px 0 4px 0;
}
.cmPage .cdRFHeadingWithBox {
}
.cdTPop {
font-size: 13px;
}
.cdTPop .cmPage a {
font-size: 1.0em;
text-decoration:none;
}
.cdTPop .cmPage a:hover {
font-size: 1.0em;
text-decoration:underline;
color: #c60;
}
Customer Discussions
Beta (What's this?)
New! Receive e-mail when new posts are made. Click the "Track it!" button on any discussion page.
This product's forum
(0 discussions)
Discussion
Replies
Latest Post
No discussions yet
Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Receive e-mail when new posts are made
Prompts for sign-in
Guidelines
Product Information from the Amapedia Community
Beta
(What's this?)
Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com. › See featured Amapedia.com articles
