Discover more - food

Here is a list of fascinating books on South Asian foods. From glossy cookery books to informative dictionaries, you will find out how to cook South Asian dishes, how certain foods became important and the role they played throughout history.

South Asian food

  • Achaya, K.T. 1994. Indian food a historical companion. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 322 p.
    Outlines the wide variety of Indian cuisines, foods, dishes and cooking methods.
  • Achaya, K.T. 2002. A historical dictionary of Indian food. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 347 p.
    Alphabetical list of food, food culture, cuisines and recipes of India. It draws upon literature, archaeology, historical writing and science.
  • Bhogal, V. 2003. Cooking like Mummyji. London: Simon & Schuster, 224 p.
    A recipe book with a youthful and humorous slant on British Asian home cooking. It contains over 100 mouth watering recipes using ingredients easily available in Britain.
  • Budhwar, K. 2002. Romance of the Mango: the complete book of the king of fruits. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 290 p.
    Well researched and full of stories and facts about India's love of the mango and its role as a food and in art, crafts, literature and mythology.
  • Davidson, A. The Oxford companion to food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 892 p.
    A dictionary-style book covering almost everything known to be edible. It includes many South Asian foods and eating habits and is a pleasure to read.
  • Jaffrey, M. 1985. A taste of India. London: Pavilion Books Limited, 255 p.
    Madhur Jaffrey expertly introduces us to the diversity of Indian dishes in this book.
  • Jaffrey, M. 1995. Flavours of India. London: BBC Books, 320p.
    Lists over 100 recipes and describes the history and culture behind regional Indian cookery.
  • Madhur Jaffrey's ultimate curry bible. London: Ebury Press, 352p.
    Curry recipes from all over the world.
  • Norman, J. 2002. Herb & spice. London: Dorling Kindersley, 336p.
    A colourful reference book on how to add exotic flavours to your food, by a well-known cook. Covers the origin of a wide range of herbs and spices, and how to select, store, prepare and cook them.