A Taste of Time

Calcutta, once the nucleus of the Raj, was at the heart of a thriving economy
and unparalleled administration. Over the centuries, this teeming, cosmopolitan
metropolis has become home to people from various communities who have lent its
food and culture their distinctive tastes and culinary rituals. The heady romance of
palates and flavours in the ‘Royal Capital’ has fostered diversity in food and culture all
the while adhering to the city’s Bengali roots.
A Taste of Time is an insightful journey through the ever-changing landscape of
Calcutta’s food and cultural milieu, from its decades-old cutlet, jhal muri, and puchka
stalls to its iconic continental restaurants like Firpo’s and Flurys; from its oldest tea
shop, Favourite Cabin, set up in 1924, to the 21st-century fine-dining restaurant
threesixtythreeo. Mohona Kanjilal, through her immaculate research, deftly captures
the stories behind the city’s endearing culture of ‘bikel chaar-ter cha’ (tea at 4 p.m.);
its renowned bakeries like Nahoum’s; and the invention of rasogollas and samosas (or
shingara). Diving into Calcutta’s dazzling history, she explores how the food habits of
early European settlers, Jewish, Armenian, Chinese, Parsi and other expats, and the
city’s next-door neighbours like Darjeeling and Odisha, have made the culinary fabric
of Calcutta immensely rich and layered.
This delightful and comprehensive history of food in Calcutta, peppered with mouthwatering
nuggets, recipes and intriguing accounts of some revolutionary personalities
of Bengal will appeal to the mind and tastebuds alike