OP: Indian-Jewish Cooking

Hyman Publishers, ND, London. Paperback. Very Good. Several Jewish communities—all with distinct histories, places of origin, and ethnic identities—have deep roots in India. Whether modern or ancient arrivals, each group began dwindling and dispersing throughout the mid-twentieth century after Indian independence, Partition, and the founding of Israel. Where there was once a thriving population, fewer than 5,000 Jews remain in the country today. Many of those who do remain recognize the urgent need to preserve the legacy of their existence and culture before it disappears entirely. In 1992, Mavis Hyman, herself a direct descendant of one of the earliest Iraqi-Jewish settlers in Kolkata, published this collection of Indian-Jewish recipes, drawing from the practice and memories of home cooks.  The result is an engaging cultural, historical, and culinary composite. The headnote for khitchree, for example, acknowledges the dish’s association with Indian culinary tradition but suggests an a