This book’s theme is inextricably linked to the author’s identity. She is a member of Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s Bene Israel Jewish community.
Food is more than just a source of sustenance; it also contains the key to understanding migration, survival, and assimilation histories. Communities that have been uprooted do not cut ties with their past. They keep it going to honor their ancestors and their roots.
Bene Appétit: The Cuisine of Indian Jews, Esther David’s new book, shows this attitude of continuation. It analyzes “how Indian Jews have retained their dietary customs in a heterogeneous country like India, which has varied cuisines,” according to HarperCollins India.
