We Have Enough For All

Explore the variety available around you, tap into other people's culinary heritage and do not waste, say four recent books on food traditions.

- Vibha Varshney

THERE IS a reason the food industry works so feverishly to promote its products. Most food they churn out cater to people’s aspirations, and this allows the companies to keep prices high—very high. Profits are higher if the food product is rich in salt, sugar and fat—a highly irresistible combination. Once hooked on these, people forget their personal preferences. They choose junk food over food that is wholesome and homemade.

Food is one of the biggest determinants of health. Depending on our choice, it can either provide nutrients required to run our biological systems or just pump empty calories into our body. So, it’s time we got serious about what we eat and how.

Four books published recently remind us about our rich culinary heritage and indicate the future of food. The topics the books deal with are all very different but they highlight one thing—our survival depends on our ability to maximise what is available.