Nourishing Trails

Being a new mother is an overwhelmingly joyful experience. The simple coos, tiny fingers wrapping around yours – it's a journey of discovery and immense love. These incomparable moments of happiness are also full of challenges as your body and mind recover from the tremendous transformation it went through during pregnancy and delivery, a journey that spanned more than a year.

Sesame seeds provide health benefits like regulating blood pressure, sugar, and cholesterol. Til ladoo, til chikki, millet ladoo, til panjiri, and our laddu bars are some delicious ways to add sesame seeds to your diet.

Have you ever wondered about the omnipresence of our humble cumin in thousands of Indian dishes across the country? The cumin obtained from the flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, is a must for tempering curries, crafting traditional snacks, flavoring rice dishes, and making various drinks. Besides being a revered condiment in our kitchens, cumin is a celebrated medicinal ingredient in Ayurvedic treatments.

Poppy seeds are integral to Indian cuisine, featuring prominently in dishes like sweet laddu, sabji curry, or korma. In different parts of India, they are known by various names: khus khus /posta dana in Hindi, posto in Bengali, gasagase in Kannada, kasa kasa in Tamil, and more.

The magical spice, fenugreek or methi seeds, is a celebrated staple in Indian cuisine and a revered medicinal plant in Ayurveda. In fact, fenugreek seeds are common condiments found in almost every Indian home since ancient times.

Incorporating Gondh into your diet isn't just a nod to tradition; it's a choice for a healthier lifestyle. From its rich history to its impressive health benefits, Gondh is truly a superfood that has stood the test of time.

We all grew up listening to strict dietary advice from our grandmas. Let's take a sneak peek into such age-old pearls of wisdom and science behind it.

We often remember the inventors and creators of the things that surround us, such as the electric bulb or the steam engine. But do we know who invented and curated the food that we eat, such as the sambhar, the idli, the rice or millet? India has been the source of some of the most astonishing knowledge of the human body and nature, such as Yoga and Ayurveda. For around 5,000 years, the knowledge of culinary nourishment has been passed down generations after generation through a chain of mothers and grandmothers. Unfortunately, today, as we embrace a fast-paced lifestyle, many Indian traditional dishes face extinction. But despite the challenges of ever-evolving lifestyle changes, there are mothers and grandmothers who tried their best to keep our tradition alive, and they acted as guardians of these treasures of the past. They documented their recipes in various forms, such as books, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, and digital media. In this blog post, we will celebrate the legacy of Indian women in cooking and how they protected and passed on our rich culinary culture. We will explore the outstanding contributions of some of the most influential women who preserved and documented the traditional recipes of India from colonial times to the present. From being authors of books to being cookery show hosts, and YouTubers, these women made exemplary contributions by documenting the deep knowledge of Indian cuisine to the generations. We will also learn how they inspired and empowered us with the goodness of our tradition and why it is time for our generation to return to our roots for nutrition and food. 1. Pragyasundari Devi (1872 – 1950) Image credits: Wikipedia  Even during colonial times, many women tried to gather and spread our traditional recipes via print media. One of the most notable cookbook writers among them was Pragyasundari Devi. Pragyasundari Devi documented many traditional recipes. Her cookbooks are a rich collection of Vegetarian Bengali dishes and Assamese cuisine. Her first book ‘Amish O Niramish Ahar’, published in 1902, is considered one of the earliest cookbooks in Bengali. Let me tell you an interesting fact: she is the niece of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore!  2. Mrs Balbir Singh(1912 – 1994)  Image credits: Wikipedia As the colonial times passed, during post-colonial times, many women started to write cookbooks. But among all of them-Mrs, Balbir Singh stands out Hailing from Punjab, Mrs. Balbir Singh is considered a forerunner in writing cookbooks. She graduated from cooking school in London in 1955. Her pioneering work ‘Mrs Balbir Singh’s Indian Cookery book’, was first published in 1961 and regarded as a classic work of Indian cuisine. The book underwent various revisions and reprints. Her second book, Continental Cookery for Indian Homes, published in 1994, contained more than 300 recipes. Through her cooking classes and books, she mentored, inspired and empowered generations of food writers, food critics and chefs. In 1959, Singh won an award from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for her work on home preservation. 3. Mrs. Tarla Dalal (1936 – 2013) Padmashri Tarla Dalal, the undoubted queen of Indian cookery, embarked on a mission to popularise Indian cuisine even before social media took over.  She spread the knowledge of Indian cuisine through cookbooks and TV shows. She specialises in traditional Indian vegetarian dishes with a particular focus on Gujarati cuisine. Through her website, she created a digital depository of traditional recipes. Her TV shows ‘The Tarla Dalal Show’ and ‘Cook It Up With Tarla Dalal’ made her a familiar face in Indian homes. Her most notable work is The Pleasures of Vegetarian Cooking. In fact, she wrote over 100 cookbooks and sold more than 10 million copies. Do you know she is the only woman in history to get Padma Shri from the cooking field? Unfortunately, she passed away in 2013. How many books, recipes, etc. Along with these famous lady pioneers who documented the secrets of Indian recipes before social media, one name that can not be missed is Madhur Jaffrey. 4. Madhur Jaffrey Image credits: Wikipedia From being a food writer, consultant, and TV host to actress, Madhur Jaffrey has many feathers to her hat. But she is most famous for introducing Indian cuisine to the West through her first cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, published in 1973. She, famously known as the ‘queen of curries’, hosted many TV shows, including Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, which brought Indian recipes to the United Kingdom in the 1980s. She published over a dozen cookbooks. She received Padma Bhushan for her remarkable contributions. When social media became the norm, many mothers and grandmothers started using social media channels like YouTube to preserve our rich culinary heritage. Let's go through some social media heroes with the most followers. 5. Mrs. Nisha Madhulika Nisha Madulika’s YouTube channel has over 1.39 crore subscribers. She is one of the most followed food YouTubers in India. She is also a famous food columnist and restaurant consultant. She started her blog in 2007 and later her YouTube channel in 2011. In 2016, she was featured among "India's top 10 YouTube superstars" by The Economic Times. She has a vast collection of Indian recipes on her YouTube channel and blog. Her channel is one of the best references for anyone who loves to cook Indian dishes. 6. Pankaj Bhadouria Image credits:Wikipedia Pankaj Bhadouria stands in a class of her own by being the first master chef from India. She, a school teacher-turned-chef, has written many cookbooks, including Barbie- I am a Chef. She also hosted famous TV shows like 3 Course with Pankaj, Rasoi se- Pankaj and Bhadouria ke Saath. You can pick up many classic Indian recipes from her website and YouTube channel. Her YouTube channel has over 17 lakh subscribers. 7. Aapli Aaji, Mrs. Suman Dhamne Suman Dhamne, popularly known as Aapli aaji, a 70-plus grandma from Maharashtra, is another famous YouTuber with over 16.5 lakh subscribers. Her videos have a special focus on Maharatrashrian recipes. Her YouTube channel is a repository of over 600 recipes! Her mouth-watering Maharashtrian sweet recipes are still followed by many. 8. Reshu Drolia Reshu Drolia is another passionate mother who created a treasure trove of dishes on YouTube. Her channel "Mints Recipes." has about 13.7 lakh subscribers.  If you are into Indian classical recipes, you can check the playlists on her channel. Her recipes were featured in the Telegraph, Times Food, news18.com, MSN.com, etc. 9. Manjula Jain Manjula Jain started her YouTube journey back in 2006. Her YouTube channel today has over 5.98 lakh followers and 500 plus recipes. Her cooking embodies the simplicity of Indian vegetarian cuisine. Through her YouTube channel and website, she built a rich collection of recipes made from simple ingredients. 10. Priti Sen How can the list of guardians of traditional recipes be complete without talking about food historians? Priti Sen is a food historian who made outstanding contributions by researching and writing about authentic Bengali Cuisine. She is a journalist turned food historian and is also a widely read food columnist. Wrapping Up Our list here is not exhaustive since there are hundreds and thousands of mothers who played their part in preserving Indian traditional dishes and bringing them to us. In fact, it is our mothers and grandmothers who kept our traditions alive. So, as we wrap up, let's salute the mothers in a relentless pursuit to empower numerous generations by creating an enviable chain of knowledge transfer of Indian culinary traditions. Our mothers and grandmothers are the real heroes who keep our healthy and nutritious recipes alive, so why don't you go and thank your mother and grandmother for preserving our culinary heritage and nourishing an entire generation?

What took us away from grandmothers' nutritious food? How did we depart from Indian traditional dishes? Let’s explore the reasons why it's time to return.

A gift is one of the most powerful ways to express love, care and gratitude. Let's make our gifts more thoughtful by taking lessons from our tradition.

Real Mothers who inspired our recipes   Mrs. Suman Dhamane, Aapli Aaji, a 70-year-old grandmother from Ahmednagar Maharashtra, rose to fame as YouTube star. Her traditional Indian and Maharashtrian recipes and spice expertise have benefited a million of viewers and subscribers. With over 140 homemade recipes, she earned the YouTube creator's award. Mama Nourish applauds her contribution for preserving India's culinary heritage. Link to her Youtube channel. Mrs. Usha Shrotriya (63), Founder Enterprising MAA Private Limited | Gondh Laddu | Dry-fruit Instant Energy| Wholesome Millet. Usha ji, a devoted cook and learner, mastered Gondh Laddus from her mother-in-law during her motherhood journey in 1985. In the early '90s, she embraced Kamarkas laddu, thanks to a Punjabi neighbor. She continues to share her treasure at places she calls home, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Maharashtra, enriching many lives. Mama Nourish thanks her and millions other Grandmothers for preserving India's culinary heritage. Mrs. Saroj Madan, 75, from Kashipur, Uttarakhand, cherishes her family's culinary traditions. She learned Kamarkas Laddu, from her mother-in-law native of Sindh region of undivided India. Her shared wisdom has been nourishing hundreds of families. Living in a loving Punjabi joint family, she continues to preserve India's culinary heritage. Mama Nourish salutes her and a million other grandmothers of India for preserving our culinary heritage.

Ancient texts and beliefs tell us that, about 5000 years ago, it was Maharishi Sushruta, the father of Surgery, and author of foundational ayurvedic texts, who invented the first “Laddu” of the world, as a medicinal supplement, blending jaggery, sesame seeds, with honey, and herbs.

India's thousand-year-old culinary heritage is extraordinarily rich, and diverse. It is amazing how our fore-fore-fathers and mothers had woven extensive knowledge of human body, nature and its interrelationship to evolve wisdom foods which nourish and heal.