Travels Through South Indian Kitchens

by Nao Saito

For a traveller, a household kitchen in a strange land is usually a remote destination, but it is one that tells the 'truth' about food and everyday life, ' says Nao Saito, architect and designer from Japan. A kitchen is usually thought of as a particular arrangement of space. But a space is not just a fixed physical structure - it is also fluid, shaped by the way in which people use it. Keeping this connection in mind, Nao Saito set out to explore a colourful variety of kitchens during her stay in South India. With her abiding interest in people and cookery, she finally came up with this richly perceptive travelogue, bringing together floor plans, sketches, photographs, impressions, recipes and conversation. In the process, South Indian kitchens emerge as more than just domestic spaces- they are distinctive ways of living and relating to the world

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, India, Food Writing

194 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2018

Reviews

[Vampire Who Baked · Rating 4 out of 5]

why should you read this book?
because:
1. it is a semi-cookbook, with
traditional family recipes
2. and also a semi-cultural study through food
3. written by a japanese woman
4. who is an architect
5. who travels through kitchens in and around south india, but mostly around chennai
6. and talks about how the architecture of kitchens in india influences social culture
7. (and contrasts it with japanese and western counterparts)
8. and illustrates the whole thing with photographs but also lots and lots of really cute lovingly hand-drawn images, of everything from pressure cookers, to kitchen layouts, to vegetables and seafood, to specialised tools for making puttu and idiyappam, to pictorial guidelines on how to properly slice karela/ bitter melon.

such a unique book, and also a wonderful read independent of its uniqueness-- go get it!

[T. Sark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come! (I think)

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the sweetest cookbooks I've ever read. And this is a cookbook one should sit down to read because it's so much more than that. It's really a journey Saito takes as she acquaints herself, and her readers, with a typical South Indian kitchen. She sketches the most delightful layouts of each kitchen and peppers her pages, in the corners, with little simple drawings of all the tools that one uses in such a kitchen and all the varied ingredients. I haven't tried the recipes yet - ragi puttu is high on my list - but those look great as well. The entire book is simple beautiful - as all Tara books are - especially the cover which doesn't just look like the banana leaf that one eats off of - it's textured to feel like one as well!

[Richa Sharma Dhamorikar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was gifted to me by a very dear friend who knew of my interest in reading and cooking. This is a beautiful book , one look at it and I know I would have bought it instantly. The way the author has sketched kitchen interiors and all the time elements that make up a South Indian kitchen make it such a visual delight. It also has pictures of the people she interviewed and their favourite recipes. Stories/writing is quite basic but honestly I just loved loved flipping through the pages of this beauty.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The combination of the authors interior drawings of the kitchens and the descriptions of the cooking and uses of different spaces made this a really special adventure through South Indian kitchens. Just overall very enjoyable.

[roxy punk · Rating 5 out of 5]

You rarely get a book like this one that totally imerses you in the kitchen of a culture. I loved every word and drawing of it. The design of the book is really special also. I can t wait to travel to South India and experience it for my self!

[Tara Reysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

smells like masala and red chilli, tastes like warm shrimp curry 🥘

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never read a book like this one, mostly about kitchens and design with some recipes. It’s a nice combination and a great look at form and function, culture and family.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warm book written by a Japanese who spent 3 months in Chennai and researched kitchens of South India. It's beautiful how she has tried to be a part of the homes she visited, the observations she makes are fantastic at times. Loved the illustrations too. The language at time was so basic though