Culinary luminary Madhur Jaffrey describes the book “Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India” as one of the essential books on Indian food. Such high praise might lead one to wonder about the background of the creator of such a volume. It is unlikely that one would imagine the reality.
Canadian American Colleen Taylor Sen, who authored the book, pursued Slavic Studies at the University of Toronto and received her Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literature from Columbia University in New York. So where did the Indian food come in? She married into it.
Colleen Taylor met Bengali student Ashish Sen at the University of Toronto when they were both in graduate school. “At the time I had no interest at all in India or Indian food,” Sen confesses, “or in food in general, for that matter. I was a Slavic Studies major. You might think that if I was going to develop an interest in food, I’d study cuisines whose languages I know, that is, Russian and Polish. But, of course, what I was really interested in was Ashish.”
And what was Sen’s introduction to Indian food? “In 1963, when I met Ashish, there were no Indian restaurants in Toronto, because immigration was quite restricted. One evening I accompanied him to a party for a very famous Bengali singer, almost the equivalent in India of Frank Sinatra here. In his honor, the hostess had made a plate of a Bengali sweet called sandesh, which is very difficult to make at home. I liked it so much, I ate half of the plate, much to Ashish’s mixed embarrassment and happiness that I liked this Bengali dish so much. That was my introduction to Indian food.” This was a good sign for the future. After getting her Ph.D. at Columbia, Colleen Taylor moved to Chicago, where Ashish Sen was teaching at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and she and Ashish were married.
Colleen Sen worked at learning about Indian food and culture. One might assume that this would be the classic tale of mastering the foods her husband loves. However, she admits, “I’m not really much of a cook. My husband is the cook in our family.” But that doesn’t mean she was any less determined to study.
Chicago offered more opportunities to explore Indian food, but so did being married to Ashish. “My mother-in-law died fairly young, so we only met a few times, but she was an inspiration, especially through her writing. Ashish’s mother was a well-known writer and journalist in India and author of one of the country’s most widely read newspaper columns. She also published her own magazine. Among other subjects, she wrote about food and wrote at least one cookbook. Ashish suggested that perhaps I, too, could pursue writing.”
So she wrote. Because Sen speaks Russian and Polish and was a serious chess player, she started there, working as a translator for Russian grandmasters and then writing articles about the players. This was during the Bobby Fisher era, and chess was big. But in time, as she learned more about Indian food, culture and history, she started to write about that.
Sen is quick to point out that talking about “Indian food” is like talking about “European food.” It’s not monolithic. India is an entire subcontinent, and today’s states were once separate countries, with different cultures. She notes that, in addition, “there is the added complication of eight religions and hundreds of languages. So no one can really ever capture all this diversity. My husband is Bengali, which has a distinctive cuisine, so I have some firsthand knowledge of that. I’ve been to India more than twenty times and have travelled all over the country, and there is still always more to learn.”
But after more than fifty years of study, Sen knows more than just about anyone else. Hence Madhur Jaffrey’s enthusiasm. Initially, Sen wrote about Indian food for magazines and newspapers, including Travel + Leisure, Food Arts, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. Starting out, she focused on regional cuisines, which no one else was doing. She also wrote restaurant reviews. But she eventually moved on to bigger projects. Her first book was “Food Culture in India” (2004), which was followed by “Curry: A Global History” (2009).
In 2010, Sen wrote “Pakoras, Paneer, Pappadums: A Guide to Indian Restaurant Menus.” This was in reaction to a suggestion made by a restaurant owner who complained that his non-Indian customers always ordered the same thing: samosas, butter chicken, naan and saag paneer. “I actually self-published this book,” Sen says. “I’m sorry to say that it didn’t make much impact, and now, more than twenty years later, when I go to Indian restaurants I still see everyone ordering these dishes.” Worth noting is that these are very tasty options. Sen acknowledges that they are popular even in restaurants in India, along with tandoori chicken. So if you don’t have Sen’s book—or a knowledgeable dining companion—know that you can’t go wrong ordering these things. It’s just that Sen, along with that restaurant owner, hopes that people will expand their culinary horizons.
“Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India” was released in 2015. Turns out that Madhur Jaffrey was far from being its only fan. Saveur reported, “Sen’s interdisciplinary history of the culture surrounding India’s food is a comprehensive addition to any library. Not only does the book examine India’s history and culinary developments from the prehistoric through present-day eras, it also interweaves snippets of literary works and recipes that are now enjoyed worldwide.” But the book wasn’t just a hit in the United States. Indian Express wrote, “I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Feasts and Fasts’ is hailed as the best book of the decade on culinary identity,” and a trip to Mumbai resulted in a two-page spread in a local paper. In that article, Sen comments on how much India had changed since she began her research, but the focus was on her in-depth exploration of a local specialty, pav bhaji. So, still studying.
In its review of “Feasts and Fasts,” the Smithsonian related that the book offered “an in-depth look at the subcontinent’s edible history through its complex web of religious, moral, social and philosophical inner workings.” Those “philosophical inner workings” are more than just an interesting insight: they are an important part of the thread that runs through the disparate elements of India’s food. The 5,000-year-old, holistic approach to healing known as Ayurveda views food and spices as major parts of staying healthy. It is why, despite the great differences among regions and cultures across India, there are commonalities. Sen has studied this in depth as well. “I’m very interested in Ayurveda and diet,” she says, “and have written about it, but there are a lot of misconceptions, the main one being that it requires a vegetarian diet. This simply isn’t true. If you read the works of the founders, Susruta and Charaka, you’ll find recommendations for meat (and even alcohol) for certain diseases.” So Sen’s writing includes a book on a spice that has in recent years gotten attention worldwide for its health benefits: “Turmeric: The Wonder Spice” (with Helen Saberi, 2014).
In India, as in most places in the world, it’s often difficult to separate food from history. While Sen focuses on food, her “Ashoka and the Maurya Dynasty: The History and Legacy of Ancient India’s Greatest Empire” (2022) concentrates on Ashoka Maurya (304-232 BCE), who once ruled most of the subcontinent, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. “Ashoka is considered by many to be India’s greatest emperor,” Sen writes. “After killing many people in a great war, he felt great remorse, abandoned violence, and spread a philosophy that urged tolerance, kindness and non-injury, not only to humans, but also to animals. He preached against animal slaughter, advocated vegetarianism, and even built veterinary clinics throughout his kingdom. I was fascinated by his story, which may be unique in world history.”
During the decades that Sen has pursued her studies and traveled in India, the world has changed, both here and there. In India, meals were traditionally prepared at home, unless there were ingredients or equipment (such as a tandoor oven) that would not be found in a home kitchen. One might go out for Indian-Chinese, and tandoori chicken was popular. Well-heeled diners might seek out “continental” food (that is, European). But now, with life speeding up and more people working outside the home, prepared foods, mixes and frozen meals are making life in the modern world easier. Restaurants are now more common in India, more experimental, and are also exploring the foods of other regions within India. In other words, like everyone else, people in India need easier and want interesting. Some of that has touched us here, not only with more diversity in newer Indian restaurants, but also with many of those convenience meals that can be found in stores.
“The availability of Indian food in the Chicago area never ceases to amaze me,” Sen says. “Stores like Patel Brothers, which got its start in Chicago a few blocks from our house, now sell not just spices and Indian vegetables, but an incredible variety of frozen and convenience food that make preparing Indian food much easier. For example, there are ready-made mixes for dosas and idlis from millets and other grains and lentils. You just open the carton and pour it into the pan. Mainstream supermarkets also stock some of the more common Indian spice mixtures and frozen foods. Trader Joe’s has some wonderful options. Some people claim this isn’t authentic, but in my view, it’s a good introduction to Indian food.”
I asked Sen what recommendations she would make to those who are just starting out eating or cooking Indian food. “A buffet is perhaps the best way to sample a lot of dishes at one sitting, although they don’t seem to be as widespread post-COVID as they used to be,” she says. “But they are still out there. Or go with some Indian friends, who can not only make recommendations, but who can multiply the number of dishes being ordered, so you can try several things. Indian breads are one of the glories of the cuisine, and not just naan. I love Indian breads for breakfast: parathas or theplas [a Gujarati bread made from millets] with yogurt and a little mango pickle.”
Parathas and theplas may be ideal for breakfast, but the last two times I’ve eaten with her, Sen has ordered parotta, a gloriously flaky, layered bread from southern India. But then we were in restaurants specializing in southern Indian food. This is a good reminder that, even when it comes to bread, be a little adventurous.
Speaking of cooking, Sen says, “Indian food developed in a society with joint families, where there were a lot of daughters and daughters-in-law and perhaps servants. As a result, it is very labor-intensive, which is why people increasingly don’t do much cooking at home. Hence the increase in the convenience foods and restaurants, both in India and in Indian stores here. When we do cook at home, we simplify the more complex dishes by just using a few spices and even ready-made curry powder and garam masala. The recipes in most Indian cookbooks are so complicated and require so many spices that they discourage many people from making it at home.” But, Sen doesn’t discourage people from trying. For beginners, she suggests, “When cooking, avoid recipes that begin with a long list of spices and other ingredients. Most people only use a few things for everyday cooking: cumin, mustard seed, onions, garlic. In addition, make sure you sauté the onions for at least seven or eight minutes on low heat.” Other than that, she encourages seeking out cookbooks that target beginners—unless, like Sen, you choose to marry a good cook.
In addition to writing, Sen is an editor and has been involved in producing collections that introduce even more food. She coedited “Street Food Around the World” with food historian Bruce Kraig and “The Chicago Food Encyclopedia” with Kraig and Carol Haddix. Her most recent editing project, to which she also contributes, returns to India: “The Bloomsbury Handbook of Indian Cuisine” (2024), an encyclopedic volume that brings together 266 articles from twenty-six writers on topics as far-ranging as spices, rites of passage, breads, regions, fruit, states, iconic dishes, historic cooks, and probably at least a few things you didn’t know you needed to read about.
But even after fifty years, Colleen Sen doesn’t show any inclination to slow down. “I’m writing a book tentatively called ‘Curry and Beyond: A History of Indian Food in the United States.’ It will be the first book on this subject, although at least five books have been written on Chinese cuisine in the U.S.”
Of course, one of the things that will keep the demand for Sen’s books growing is that the United States is not the only country that is interested in pursuing Indian cuisine. Not even just the United States and India. “One thing that I’m very proud of,” Sen says, “is that my books have been translated into Arabic, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.”
We all like good food.
image source from：https://resto.newcity.com/2025/04/16/love-in-every-bite-how-colleen-taylor-sen-became-chicagos-connection-to-the-cuisines-of-south-asia/
