This appeared in Silkroad magazine’s Feb 2012 issue
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About the Author: Shoba Narayan
Shoba Narayan is an author, journalist and columnist. Besides writing, she is interested in nature, wine, gadgets and Sanskrit. Her lifelong mission is to get fit without exercising and lose weight without dieting.
I am always confused by the desparate desire of the proponent of any cuisine to label it ‘healthier’ in comparison to some other form of nutrition. Food – sustenance – a thing of beauty – an art form in certain cases – is simply a creation of geography and the artisans that crafted it and melded it over time. I am not sure that south Indian food has anything on ‘north Indian food’ or any food on another for that matter – this from a foodie. I am not even sure what people mean when they refer to HEALTH specific aspect of any given concoction. Moderation remains key to everything. Foods native to a region also have significant correlation to the local climate and a human body’s ability to cope with the environs on consumption of said foods. IMHO use of words like healthy are merely a marketing ploy used by chefs all over the world and now governments are getting in on the act to win votes… the USA is a prime culprit deciding whether having a McDonald’s franchise inside of a hospital is moral or not.
I totally agree with Uday here…
IMHO it’s not fair to say North Indian cooking has lost its connection with India’s ancient cuisines because of XYZ invasions etc. Chicken curry and tandoori lamb are fully Indian. One must also remember that India herself is a mixture of various peoples over the years. The Indus Valley (“India”) probably has the best claim of being there first…
Restaurants, especially Indian restaurants abroad, are not the best gauge/s of authenticity or healthfulness. They are after profits ultimately and they will serve whatever mix of cream/salt/fat will attract and retain patrons.
Interesting to note that the chef’s “iconic” selections are Kerala fish and Chicken chettinad, dishes that are fairly particular to one subtype of South India. A majority of South Indians are vegetarians and would never cook this in any case.