Digesting India : A Travel Writer’s Sub-Continental Adventures With The Tummy: A Memoir À La Carte

by Zac O'Yeah

Digesting India is a wildly entertaining and informative adventure through the landscapes of Indian culinary art, as explored by Zac O’Yeah, a Scandinavianorigin Indian novelist with a readiness to stomach anything and everything that grows or walks on earth. Well, almost. This book combines the three things that O’Yeah loves most about life―eating, drinking and travelling―in a delightful romp based on thirty years of trying to understand India through its food culture. This fast-paced story of a traveller’s untiring quest for new cultural and culinary experiences is as intriguing as it is profound, and you might say it captures India in a nutshell―a very big, coconut-sized one. Here we learn about dishes that we may never have heard of, and food habits we never knew existed, such as when we accompany O’Yeah on a ‘spareparts’ tour that begins in Shivajinagar, the slaughterhouse area of Bengaluru. As we follow him on a winding journey through India, he takes us through the pleasures of drinking beer in Bengaluru (slang for ‘beer galore’), toddy in Kerala, and eating boiled vegetables and masala-less curries in Sevagram, the Mahatma’s ashram in Maharashtra, to prepare him for the rich red ‘lal maas’ in royal Rajasthan. He discovers Goa’s literati culture sipping cashew fenny with Nobel laureate Orhan Pahmuk and Amitav Ghosh, finds two of his favourite foods―mushrooms and cheese―in Bhutan’s ‘shamudatsi’, and, in a delightful digression, finds out―while still on earth―what astronauts eat, and more importantly, drink, in outer space Digesting India is a rollicking read―a multi-course meal full of happy discoveries. Read it as vicarious fun in your armchair, carry it as an inspiring travel companion, or use it to impress your friends with thousands of interesting, surprising facts about local foods and the many places they come from.

Genres: Food, Travel

394 pages, Paperback

Published June 5, 2023

About the author

Zac O’Yeah used to work at a theatre in Gothenburg, Sweden – the harbor town where his detective novel “Once Upon A Time In Scandinavistan” (Hachette India, 2010; originally published in Swedish as “Tandooriälgen” in 2006) is set – and toured with a pop group until he retired early at 25 and came to India.

Since then he has published eleven books in Swedish, many of them important bestsellers – including the Gandhi-biography “Mahatma!” which was short-listed for the August Prize 2008 for best nonfiction book of the year. His most recent book in Swedish is the conspiracy thriller “Summan av kardemumman” (2009; paperback in 2010). He is currently working on a new thriller and a film project.

He is also a literary critic (rather grumpy at that), cultural feature writer and columnist, currently writing on crime fiction in Mint Lounge, the weekend supplement of the Indian edition of Wall Street Journal, and reviewing books in Deccan Herald’s Sunday supplement, and contributing occasionally to the travel magazine Outlook Traveller, plus now and then in major Swedish magazines and newspapers.

Zac O’Yeah is also a translator specializing in introducing selections of Indian writing – such as Pankaj Mishra, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and others – to Swedish readers. He has had a long involvement with theatre in as a playwright, director, designer, producer, and occasional performer.

Furthermore, he has been a cultural consultant for several bilateral exchange projects involving Swedish and Indian writers, translators, theatre workers and many others who toil in the fields of art. These projects have included, for instance, developing theatre for children and young people. Previous jobs include International Secretary of the Swedish Writers’ Union (1998-2000), dance lighting designer (1988-1992) and dish washer in a seedy pizzeria in Kungsportsavenyn (1986-1987).

Reviews

[Nupur Brahma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is an ode to India's epicurean heritage and the author's descriptions of various restaurants and dishes while traversing the length and breadth of the country made me salivate as also howl with laughter at the amusing anecdotes. A truly rollicking read!

[Suman Srivastava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food. Alcohol. Books. India. Mix the ingredients and add humour. You get this book. Enjoy.

[Nikhil Kamath · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Digesting India' by Zac O'Yeah is one of the more interesting books on Food and Travel I have read in recent times.

The fact that the author travels not only to the usual metro cities of Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai etc. but also goes on the roads less travelled to bring forward some very interesting experiences that most writers don't cover. 🔥🔥

Funnily enough, the author has also mentioned that he covers all the weird places so that as readers we can avoid them 😂 The style of writing is so descriptive that you feel like you're travelling with Zac and at some point can even taste the food with him.

For food and travel enthusiasts this is a book to read if you're looking to really explore a different side of India!! 🤩

[Ananta Pathak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A food lovers guide to many Indian cities and their specialities on offer. What delightful is that that rather than focusing on the usual places people go and write about, Zac goes to eateries not so popular yet having it's own specialist dishes to offer. I going to read it again to note down all the places and hopefully visit them when I am on these places next time.

[Ritu · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is aptly a food pilgrimage. Measuring India through its food and well beer, Zac gives a tour with humor and so much nuance that almost every cuisine interests you even if, in reality, you are miles away from it.
He understands every food with so much interest and eats them with a huge digestion capacity that in a sense gave me an idea what a true foodie he is!

[Janakan Manivannan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the way, he mixes History, Food, Books into an irresistible cocktail. Loved his Bengaluru Majestic stories, which were reminiscent of a bygone era. It kindled my interest to bookmark those places and revisit them in near future

[Phani Chand · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good book to know about different food habits around India. Author has gone some really good restaurants

[Karishma Udit Chhatrapati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful reading. Funny, factual, and a travel to places I doubt I would visit, or dream of eating at.