Parsi Food
by Niloufer Mavalvala
“I am neither of the East nor of the West; no boundaries exist within my breast.” ~Rumi
Bountiful, familial and ancient is what best describes Parsi food. It has been over 2500 years since the basis of this cuisine started, with a journey across the borders of Ancient Persia, Gujarat, Maharashtra and other states of India into Pakistan and beyond.
Rich-like in its culture and history, Parsi cooking is all about fresh and simple ingredients, including healthy spices dating back centuries. Thus, our food predates, by decades, the current food trends of organic and local eating. The fine balance of thikku-khattu-mitthu (spicy-sour-sweet) is key to perfecting any Parsi dish and is what makes Parsi food particularly unique.
We seem to constantly be amid culinary transformations due to the continuous migration of people who, fortunately, bring with them great knowledge of their cuisines. As Parsis continue to cross borders, we are no different, striving to use local ingredients wherever we go, yet adhering to the primary flavours and textures that define our food.
It is my sincere endeavour to revive our ancient cuisine – one recipe at a time, with the purpose of rightfully earning a place for Parsi food on the world culinary map.
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