During my childhood," Madhur Jaffrey writes here, "it did not occur to me that families came in sizes smaller than thirty people, swelling beatifically to a few thousand at the mere hint of a grand event." The award-winning actress and Indian-cooking authority grew up in a privileged Delhi family influenced by Hindu, Muslim, and British traditions. Although the years weren't especially easy ones—uncertainty and trauma ruled as the country went through partition (the creation of Muslim Pakistan)—Jaffrey evocatively captures the details of a magical childhood. Her descriptions of food—whether it's a mango rolled between her palms, turning flesh into juice; at a family picnic in the hills; or pan-roasted potato patties smothered with tamarind chutney in a darkened Hindi cinema house—make this a greedy read indeed. Includes 30 family recipes. (Knopf; $25)
Climbing the Mango Trees: A Memoir of a Childhood in India by Madhur Jaffrey
December 2006
- Keywords
- jane daniels lear,
- india,
- books,
- culinary culture
Pinterest
