Heritage cookbooks: How Mumbaikars are documenting Pre-Independence recipes in the modern era

Radhika Mathur knew her grandmother Bina Mathur and was able to spend time with her for over two decades before she passed away but the latter's legacy lives on through a cookbook. It not only has traditional recipes but every kind that the matriarch wanted to experiment with over the years. Among them is one that even has a pre-Independence connection. She shares, "We have a culinary connection to the colonial times with Marmite. The whole family loves Marmite and my grandma made a soup with the last bits of Marmite in the jar." A delicious dish that has become a favourite in the Mathur household over the years.

It is one of the many recipes that have been maintained in the recipe book that her grandmother collected all her life but first started putting together in the early 1980s. She adds, "She loved cooking everything other than basic dal, sabzi and roti. She loved her baked vegetables, different sharbats and chaats." Today, Radhika's family still maintains the cookbook, but she has also scanned it to help continue the legacy and have access to it, anywhere she goes.

Pre-Independence recipe book

India celebrates its Independence Day on August 15 every year and this year will be 78 years. Over the years, the country has seen a lot of changes but the one that hasn't changed is its culinary legacy. Among many other things that the country boasts of, our rich culinary diversity is definitely among the top, as chefs across the country like to say, the food changes every few hundred kilometres.

The beauty of Indian families is also that we find great pride in passing down recipes from one generation to another, as it happens around the world. This writer has also experienced it in his own home, as his mother has still maintained a recipe book that may be frail but has recipes of all kinds that have been documented over the years, including newspaper clippings from Mid-day and other magazines over the years. Beyond that, the tradition of the mother or mother-in-law also sharing recipes with the daughter-in-law has seen her collect many handwritten recipes on pieces of paper over the years. There are not only recipes for Pork Vindaloo but also Bread Pudding that have been followed and mastered over the years. It has measurements with informal notes that are personalised and hard to find today.

Even as most people find recipes on the Internet that are only a click away, there are people like Radhika's grandmother, who hailed from Lucknow and decided to document over the years, as the family continues to hold it dear. She explains, "Currently, all we can do is preserve the physical recipe book and try the recipes from time to time. They had simplified versions of otherwise daunting recipes and others that had a colonial influence on Indian dishes. There are recipes for Cheese balls, Mango Barabari ki Chutney, Trifle Pudding and even Open Samosa."

In the process, Radhika has learned how the recipe book binds her family in more than one way. "The recipes appeal to similar tastes across generations. We are a family of cheese lovers! It gives you a glimpse into the lives of your family across the years. I spent over 20 years with my grandmother but feel connected to her still with her collection of recipes," she adds.

Without a doubt, the Mumbai hotelier, who has lived with her family all over the country, says she has a favourite from the recipe book, and they are the simple and easy puddings. Interestingly, the book doesn't only have her recipes but also one that used to come in magazines and newspapers, which she saved as clippings.

Preserving East Indian culinary heritage offline and online

Elsewhere in Mumbai, Neha Britto has also been documenting her culinary heritage since 2013. Hailing from Vasai in Mumbai, the Mumbaikar is from the East Indian community, that also traces its roots to colonial times and the pre-Independence era, as the community gets its name from the East Indian Company during British rule. As most of them were converted by the Portuguese, who also had their stronghold in India and particularly Mumbai with its northernmost being Vasai, Nallasopara and Virar.

Over the years, it is this very legacy that she has wanted to preserve through the food that she has grown up eating. She narrates, "Growing up, I always enjoyed the East Indian food that my mom and granny baked and cooked. I developed a passion for baking, and later cooking, because of my mom. When YouTube started growing, I realised that many of the recipes we made were nowhere to be found, and I didn't want them to be lost or forgotten. Hence, I decided to document them for us."

Today, along with compiling all the recipes, she also runs ‘Kitchen Time with Neha' which has more than one lakh subscribers, as she documents traditional Indian dishes and even other popular Indian personal favourites. "I have found a joy in protecting and cherishing our culture and traditions while also learning about other cultures," she adds. As more people are documenting the East Indian culture in Mumbai, Neha intends to continue documenting the food, as she has always closely connected with the dishes that the community boasts of. She explains, "One of my favourite recipes is something we call ‘bafat'. It is a spicy curry made with brinjals, potatoes and prawns. I only recently learned to make it. It is the most ideal comfort food. And then of course, there is vindaloo."

It is one of the many dishes that she also intends to learn from her mother as she grows older. Now, that she has embarked on this journey, she intends to not only continue documenting it in her recipe book but also through YouTube, which acts like her online heritage recipe book, that not only preserves the East Indian culinary gems but also serves as a source for anybody who wants to refer to it online any time they want in the future, thus immortalising every recipe for future generations. "I think that heritage recipe books play a crucial role in preserving and passing down culinary traditions. They serve as a tangible connection to past generations," she adds. Even as recipes are only a click away in text and videos, Neha's commitment to making an online recipe book beyond the physical one is one that she truly enjoys doing while she juggles between being a teacher and a culinary chronicler.

Also Read: Independence Day: Mumbai's historical landmarks that played a role during India's freedom struggle