Tasting Faith: Jews of India—Unveiling Stories, Sharing Recipes, and Preserving their Vibrant Legacy

At once a memoir and a cultural history, Tasting Faith opens a window onto Indian Jewish life, told through the lives of two women from different backgrounds, united by faith, food, and a shared love for Israel.

Ann Samson, raised in the Bene Israel and Baghdadi Jewish communities of Bombay, recounts a vibrant childhood steeped in tradition, warmth, and an absence of antisemitism. After emigrating to Canada, she confronted a new world where her identity was misunderstood—prompting a lifelong mission to build cultural bridges. Alongside her is Paushali Lass, a Christian from Kolkata drawn to the Jewish roots of her own faith and moved to tell a story that challenges assumptions about what it means to be Jewish in today’s world.

More than a cookbook—though it features 30 lovingly preserved recipes—Tasting Faith narrates the flavors of a community often overlooked, while giving voice to a diasporic experience. With dishes like green chicken curry for Passover, milk halva for Rosh Hashanah, and a chickpea and potato street food called ragda, the book offers perspective on ancient traditions.

Written in the wake of the October 7 attacks in Israel, the book is an act of resistance against rising antisemitism. Samson and Lass—both passionate Zionists—believe cultural education is not optional in times of division, but essential. Together, they offer an alternative story of Israel and the Jewish people, one rooted in Asia, where Jews lived in peace for centuries—not as outsiders, but as Indians.

Printed modestly and self-published with a few full-color photographs, Tasting Faith is an honest, heartfelt project—not slick, but deeply sincere. It invites readers into kitchens and memories, into a complex and beautiful heritage that deserves its place at the global Jewish table.

Paperback. Color photographs throughout.