Culinary Souvenir

Food is an easy medium by which to explore traditions and cultures in countries we travel to, and a souvenir in the form of food or food related objects – Culinary Souvenirs shall we say – make excellent keepsakes. Ornamental and serviceable at the same time they also make lovely gifts for people back home. And India is a rich country for Culinary souviners so I was quite confused about what to give people that did my food tours, Masala Trails, as a keepsake.

And then I was cooking dinner one day and I had a brain wave as I reached for my Masala Dabba. If there is one thing I cannot do without in my kitchen it is my Masala Dabba. A traditional stainless steel box which has little boxes or compartment in which spices are stored. I received mine as part of my trousseau from my grandmother. I still remember the experience of going to buy it with her. We chose a nice sturdy one that would last me a lifetime and then got my name engraved on it. It was an exciting moment for me, this was the first thing we were buying for my kitchen in my future home. As the tip of the engraving tool traced my name out on the rim of the box, I dreamt a lifetime of dreams of cooking in my new kitchen. Well what better than one of the most essential utensils to give as a keepsake? So on our market and Indian Home cooking tours, I take my visitors to the same little utensil shop where my grandmother took me to buy my Masala Dabba all those year ago. And we get each person a masala dabba with their names engraved on it. Its my favourite part of my tours because I get to relive the experience each time.

I also have a more modern attractive blue and green Tupperware one. You will get some idea of the importance of a Masala Dabba in the Indian Kitchen from the fact that Tupperware designed one especially for the Indian Market. Being the spice box of the world, nobody uses spices as prolifically as us Indians and wherever in India you go, one thing that you will find in every Indian kitchen is a Masala Dabba or spice box with basic spices that go into all of our daily cooking. Chilli powder, Asafeotida, Turmeric, Coriander powder, cumin, mustard. To this may be added the local spice mix that gives that particular regional cuisine its distinctive flavour. (As with most cuisines around the world the all-important "secret ingredient" in regional cuisines of India is often a spice or blend of spices, a small amount of which, stirred into a dish gives it a distinct flavour of that cuisine.)

Growing up, I remember my grandmother grinding and storing spices to use through the coming year. A tradition I have inherited. I carry on my grandmother's traditions and put down basics for the Gujarati kitchen; Turmeric, Chilli and roasted Cumin powder, Dhanajeera (coriander and cumin blend) and Garam Masalla every year, in large glass urns with small quantities being kept in the Masala Dabba for daily use and replenished as required.

Of course spices are one of the first things one thinks about carrying back from India but your culinary souvenir need not always be food, there are lots of other options. Every region in India produces indigenous cookware, spice mixes and traditional kitchen gadgets. Terracotta chattis and Brass Urlis from Kerela, Bhaddus from Uttaranchal, even a tiiffin or Dabba like the famous Dabbavallas of Mumbai deliver, they might add a little weight to your luggage but in case you don’t fancy using these as utensils; fill them up with Pot pourie or float candles in them! Masala Dabbas I am told make great sorting boxes for knick knacks and jewellery...