——–

Ranjini Rao and Ruchira Ramanujan’s book Bookworms And Jelly Bellies brings a refreshing change of pace to how we think, cook and consume our food. Aimed at children and parents who’d like to try a more ‘playful’ and creative approach to cuisine, it comes at a time when the Indian culinary world is being buffeted by the emergence of a modern Indian ‘food culture’—with competitive cooking television shows and trendy dietary fads overwhelming the simple pleasures of actually eating food and being happier for it.Rao and Ramanujan’s book offers a rather uncomplicated take on culinary matters for both children and nostalgic adults: food as fun. This loving and joy-filled approach to food reflects the authors’ own friendship which led to their blog ‘Tadka Pasta’ while both were living in the U.S. (they’re both now located in Bengaluru, India). The blog led to two books—Mango Masala: 60 Indian Recipes From Your Local Supermarket (eBook, 2012) and Around The World With The Tadka Girls (2013).