When was the last time you ate Indian food? Have you ever thought about where this food comes from? Who made it first? How have methods of preparing this food been passed down over thousands of years? 

Since August, I have learned that there is a long history of cookbooks and cooking within Indian communities. Within a traditional model of the extended-family all under one roof, it is typically the husband’s family that determines the daily recipes used for meals.  The caste system is an important part of this. It dictates what kind of food is eaten and how it is prepared. What is interesting is that in Brahmin communities, these recipes have been written in cookbooks whereas in Dalit communities, there are no such cookbooks. This all changed when in 2016 Shahu Patole, a Dalit man from Maharashtra, wrote a cookbook exclusively with Dalit recipes. This written record of recipes is a vital step towards remembering and respecting the history of cooking and preparing foods within Dalit communities.