To see the world through food, as I now do, is to see it with lateral vision, to understand how apparently disparate phenomena are in fact connect – Carolyn Steel

Food is such a mundane thing that some believe it is nothing more than just a means of sustenance. I remember the comments from people when they realised my doctorate research was on food and identity. Some felt it was too trivial to be worthy of a serious academic pursuit. However, a few minutes spent with some of them, soon showed them that food is not just of nutritional value but also of cultural, economic, political and religious importance.

In no time in history is the movement of food and cuisines as rampant as it has been since the last century. Once people began moving from their homes to different parts of the world, so did their food and food-related customs or norms. These encounters between people of different cultures do not lead to a simple adaptation to new food but sometimes give rise to a fusion of the new and the indigenous to create an entirely new food culture. Many a times these food fusions have led to new variations of dishes unknown in the homeland but accepted in the new place as authentic.The British curry dishes come to mind.

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