Breakfast: A Societal Mirror
Priyadarshini Chatterjee’s debut book, "The Breakfast Book: A Culinary Journey Through India’s Mornings," transcends a mere collection of recipes. It functions
as an insightful exploration into the intricate social structures and economic conditions prevalent across India, all viewed through the prism of the day's first meal. Chatterjee, a seasoned food writer and consultant with a background in journalism, dedicated years to traveling throughout India. Her objective was not simply to taste local dishes but to deeply understand the narratives behind them. The book, published by HarperCollins India, meticulously examines how breakfast customs are intrinsically linked to regional distinctiveness, ingrained cultural practices, and the socio-economic standing of various communities. Chatterjee emphasizes that breakfast is often the most personal meal, prepared with locally sourced and affordable ingredients, thus offering profound insights into people's lives, their challenges, and their ambitions.
From Humble Staples to Elaborate Feasts
The book showcases over 100 recipes, spanning from simple preparations like poha and upma to more intricate regional specialties such as the Assamese jolpan, Kerala's puttu, and Bengal's luchi-alur dom. However, each recipe is accompanied by rich contextual information, detailing its historical background, the ingredients used, and the individuals associated with its preparation and consumption. For instance, Chatterjee vividly describes the sattu paratha in the Bihar chapter, a fundamental food for farmers and laborers, highlighting how its apparent simplicity belies its significant nutritional value and its crucial role in sustaining demanding physical work. In contrast, she delves into the opulent breakfast spreads often found in South Indian households, which are frequently associated with religious ceremonies and family get-togethers. Chatterjee’s journalistic acumen is evident throughout her narrative, as she candidly addresses the economic disparities that influence food choices, underscoring how access to certain ingredients or the time required for meal preparation can be a luxury for many.
Shifting Breakfast Narratives
In "First Bite: Breakfast Stories from Urban India," Chatterjee challenges the notion that Indians historically consumed only two meals a day, a concept she suggests might be a Western import. By drawing upon ancient Indian texts, regional literature, field observations, and numerous interviews, the book reconstructs the breakfast traditions of ten distinct Indian cities. It posits that a nation as diverse and stratified as India could not have adhered to such a uniform dietary pattern. Chatterjee also addresses the historical fluidity of meal timings, noting that 'dinner,' a term now associated with the evening, was once a morning meal. She cites evidence from ancient Greece and Sanskrit texts like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, which mention morning meals. However, perceptions of breakfast have varied; in the European Middle Ages, elites avoided early morning meals as they were associated with the working classes, only for breakfast to regain popularity by the 17th century and evolve into a more lavish affair by the 19th, influenced by elites and colonizers. The book further explores how European ideas of breakfast, introduced during colonial expansion, influenced Indian food habits, leading to a negotiation and exchange that blended culinary elements, exemplified by the mixed 'chotta haziri' and 'barra haziri' meals observed in colonial Calcutta.
Migration and Culinary Exchange
Chatterjee employs breakfast as a narrative tool to understand migration, labor, and survival within Indian metropolises. The question of 'who eats out in the morning' leads her to consider migrant laborers and their food habits, which are shaped by work demands and daily uncertainties. In Delhi, for example, migrants contribute significantly to the food landscape with practical, functional dishes like the affordable kachori, often sold by vendors on cycles. These items, alongside others like nagori halwa and bedmi puri, likely traveled with confectioners from regions like Varanasi. Similarly, Kolkata's breakfast scene, often associated with kochuri-torkari, is shaped by North Indian migrant confectioners from Varanasi and Kannauj, as well as the historical presence of the Chinese community. In Bengaluru, the ubiquitous dosa's spread is attributed to Udupi Brahmin migrants who established their culinary practices, aligning with upper-caste preferences. Varanasi offers a unique perspective with its diverse breakfast offerings catering to transient foreign visitors, including Israeli travelers, featuring everything from English breakfasts to shakshuka, alongside local delicacies. The Bengali diaspora also contributes to the evolving breakfast landscape in areas like Bengali Tola, illustrating how migration continuously reshapes India's morning meals.
Industrialization and Modern Habits
The Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century played a pivotal role in standardizing working hours, making an early meal a necessity for the laboring population. Chatterjee links the solidification of breakfast as a meal to the rhythms of industrial work, stating that eventually, all social classes began eating a meal before commencing their workday. Even seemingly common breakfast items like tea, biscuits, and bread faced initial resistance in regions like Bengal, where orthodox Hindu households viewed them as foreign or 'un-Hindu.' This resistance was partly due to the production of these items often being handled by Muslim or Parsi bakers, or by lower-caste Hindus, leading to apprehension among upper-caste communities. It was only after these foods transcended social boundaries and gained widespread acceptance that they became part of the dominant culinary narrative. The rise of industrial food production further accelerated the shift towards convenience, with ready-made bread, biscuits, and packaged items enabling quicker meals and increasingly defining urban breakfast routines across India. Ultimately, "First Bite" uses the multifaceted world of breakfast—its foods, vendors, consumers, and makers—as a lens to examine broader societal themes such as labor, gender, migration, community, and the daily workings of cities, acknowledging that at times, food also serves as a simple source of sustenance and energy, stripped of its complex meanings.
