The Non-Serious Guide to Bengali Food

Written and illustrated by an expatriate atomic physicist, this is an affectionate, tongue-in-cheek appreciation of Bengali cooking: “I want to explain how a good mutton biryani can cure unhappiness and how the Japanese have nothing on us when it comes to fish.”

We’re probably missing some of the humor in this small Indian import because, well, no one currently working in the store grew up in India, let alone Bengal. But Arpan Roy provides enthusiastic coverage–which we have to assume is somewhat trustworthy unless it involves a joke about his family, himself, or his compatriots–for topics as varied as

• Bhaat-ghum, the nap taken after a hearty lunch

• The difference between Bengali and Bangladeshi food

• The historical significance of aloo posto, potatoes with poppy seeds

• Bengali sweet shops and their role in domestic tranquility

• The greasy history of the kathi roll

Never destined to be the last word on Bengali food, this book is just what it promises.

Paperback. Line drawings.