Document Every Bit of Your Culinary Creations Today – Before It’s Too Late
Why Documenting Food is Preserving Culture
When guests ask me, “Chef, what is that something you’ve added that makes this dish taste so good, so unique, so aromatic?” I smile.
Decoding That Something
Because that something is not written in any recipe book. It’s not a secret spice or a complex technique. It’s a whisper from the past, something passed down from my grandmother, my mother, mentors, my travels, and my own experiences in countless kitchens.
Sometimes, it’s just the way the curd is whisked in a dahi bhalla, or how long the jeera is toasted before being added to shikanji.
It could be a pinch of jaggery, or a leaf of mint added at the right moment.
That something is the soul of the dish that’s intangible, emotional, and generational.
The Heritage of the Hand-Measured and Eye-Approved
We are fortunate to belong to a country where recipes were never born in laboratories; they were born in kitchens filled with stories, laughter, and aromas. Our grandmothers didn’t need measuring spoons or thermometers. Their hands knew the exact weight of a cup, their instincts timed the dish to perfection. They knew how to make the perfect sugar syrup (chashni) for laddoo, barfis, gulab jamuns, jalebis or chikkis. They knew the one string, two string, three string consistency. Hand-felt, Eye-approved!
Those oral traditions, shared in passing, repeated in kitchens, refined over time are what make Indian food deeply personal.
No two families cook the same rajma, or roll out the same roti. Yet each one believes theirs is the right way, and they’re all right.
That diversity is what makes our culinary culture so rich, so alive!
At the Threshold of Change
Today, we stand at a threshold where the world is shrinking, borders are blurred, and ingredients, techniques, and cuisines cross continents in a click.
This is exciting, yes, but it’s also a little frightening.
Because when everything becomes global, what happens to the local?
When speed replaces patience, and convenience replaces curiosity, do we risk losing those subtle nuances that make our food ours?
The present generation has access to every cuisine imaginable, but very few take the time to ask why something is done the way it is.
That little “something” that makes your grandmother’s curry taste different from a restaurant version. It could fade away if not recorded.
Documentation is Preservation
That’s why I believe that documenting food, be it writing it down, photographing it, or recording it, is not just about recipes. It’s about preserving culture.
Every note you make about how a dish is prepared, every time you jot down proportions, emotions, or memories associated with food, you’re safeguarding heritage.
Because tomorrow, when someone wants to recreate it, they won’t just be cooking, they’ll be reviving a piece of history.
Just as successful businesses document their processes, track their earnings and learnings, we too, must document our kitchens.
Those recipes, dates, occasions, and even the stories behind them, in what season they were cooked, that’s the real inheritance. Every note becomes a bridge between generations.
Leaving a Legacy
Food is one of the most profound ways of storytelling.
It speaks of geography, of weather, of migration, of faith, and of emotion. And when we document food, we are, in essence, writing our autobiography, bite by bite.
So, whether you’re a chef, a home cook, or someone who simply loves to eat, start recording what you make and why you make it. Because someday, someone will ask, “What was that something that made your food taste so special?”
And your notes, your legacy, will answer for you.
After all, recipes fade, memories blur, but written words endure. Documenting food is not just preserving flavour. It’s preserving who we are. My book ‘Romance of the Indian Curry’ is an earnest endeavour to document the rich culinary heritage of Indian curries.
Published by Shubhi Publishers, you could buy the book through this link: ROMANCE OF THE INDIAN CURRY: 365 FLAVOURS FOR THE YEAR https://amzn.in/d/eanSqyv