THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Grandmother’s Legacy is a cookbook that reveals intricate details, and traces the lives of author Jenny Mallin’s grandmothers who lived in India since the late 1800s. And soon, Mallin will travel from the UK to promote her book in cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, in a quest to explore the places where her ancestors once lived. “I am very excited at the thought of being able to showcase my book, and have the opportunity to talk and share with others the history of my family and my heritage recipe book of my grandmothers,” says the 56-year-old.
The original legacy book was passed on to Mallin’s mother Cynthia, and that has over 500 Anglo-Indian recipes such as Country Captain and Coconut Pepperwater and kulkuls, which are unique to the Anglo-Indian cuisine. Almost all of these recipes have an interesting story. For instance, the Country Captain and Coconut Pepperwater dish traces its origins to the Raj in the 1800s when British trade ships were called country ships and their captains were known as country captains. Some of these stories have found a mention in the book, too. “When the British first arrived in India, they insisted on soup being served as a course at dinner — however, soups were not part of the Indian menu, so their Indian cooks served a mixture of spices boiled in water,” Mallin reveals.
Turning the pages of the legacy book, one can see the handwriting style change over time, showing evidence of over five generations. “Each of my grandmothers have passed this on to the next generation. As a result, these pages offer us a glimpse into a fascinating time in history when India was under British rule,” she explains.
Mallin has spent five years researching the book. “This was no easy task,” she admits. “I needed to find out from my mother what some of the unusual terms written in the book were, for example, what an ollock (an old measurement term from Madras), and a pollum was (a very old term for the weighing scale dish used in bazaars).”
While in Bengaluru, Mallin intends to speak with the Anglo-Indian community there. “I shall be cooking with some of the families, too. I am also excited about seeing my grandmother’s heritage house, which still stands on Jeremiah Road in Fraser Town, and exploring the Bowring Institute where my grandmother would have played tennis in her 20s, in her Edwardian dress, too!” she concludes.
Mallin’s book launches on December 3, at 6.30 pm, at the Bangalore International Centre.