Article

What is one thing about your culture you would love to share?
Our food, and the hospitality that comes with it.

Indian food changes every few hundred kilometres. Dosa and sambar in the south, litti chokha in Bihar, dhokla in Gujarat, momos in the Northeast, rajma chawal in Punjab. Every region has its own spices, its own methods, its own pride. You could eat for a year without repeating a dish, and honestly, that’s the dream.

But what I love most isn’t the menu, it’s the mindset behind it. We have a saying, “Atithi Devo Bhava,” which means the guest is equal to God. It’s not just a quote on a poster. If you walk into an Indian home, you will be fed. You’ll say you’re full, and you’ll still be served one more roti. Saying no is basically a negotiation, and you will lose.

Food here is also memory. Mom’s dal on a rough day, grandma’s pickles drying on the terrace in summer, sweets exchanged with neighbours at festivals, everyone sitting together on the floor sharing one meal. Recipes are never written down properly either. They’re passed from one generation to the next as “thoda sa namak, thoda sa ghee, andaaza se.” That’s tradition living in the kitchen, not in a textbook.

Our meals also reflect old wisdom: seasonal eating, fermented foods, spices like turmeric and cumin that were used for health long before they became “superfoods” on social media. Our ancestors figured it out first.

So if you ever visit, come hungry. Skip the diet. Say yes to everything, even the extra helping you didn’t ask for. You’ll leave with a full stomach and a family you didn’t know you had. 🍛
#qotd