Romancing the Chilli: Chillies and Chutneys

Visually and intellectually stimulating, Romancing the Chilli traces the history of the chilli in the Indian subcontinent and around the world, along with its morphological, genetic and farm-to-plate journeys. The effect of the chilli on Indian and world cuisine, popular culture, the human body, its science, biology and applications are described in detail. More than forty varieties of chillies from India, Mexico, China, Africa and their applications have been documented with photos.

Romancing the Chilli includes a photo-documentation of more than forty-five traditional dry and wet chutney recipes from different parts of the country and a few from Mexico, Africa, China and Thailand. Each chutney is illustrated with snippets of history, gourmet tips and traditional health benefits of each. Chutneys from across India, from traditional vegetables, fruits and oil seeds – flax seeds, niger seeds, pumpkin, gongura, dal, garlic, brinjal, kokum and many other chutneys will spice up the palate of readers! Romancing the Chilli has been thoroughly researched by locating traditional recipes, talking to grandmothers, gourmet chefs, chilli traders and farmers from various parts of India.

Sunita Gogate is a veteran of the Indian and International School systems, having worked with the SSC and IB systems for many years. She is now a stay-at-home mum and loves experimenting with food from all over the world, hosting parties and cooking exotic food. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA with her husband Shrikant and children Pranav and Mihika.