If we look closely, food can tell stories; stories of people, of memories, and of places. During my college years when I was away from home, it was my mom’s food that I missed the most and it was often over food that we shared stories. Most of my friendships too have been built over a common love for food. There are just so many dishes that take me back to different memories.
It is this phenomenon of food bringing together communities together that Nadir Nahdi, a presenter, model and filmmaker from London of Pakistani, Indonesian, Yemeni and Kenyan heritage explores in his video series, Simmering Memories.
‘Simmering Memories is a series that looks at the memories we associate with food. For many children of diasporic communities, their culinary heritage is one of the primary ways they connect with their cultures, and these memories, therefore, have an added significance,’ says Nadir.
With a keen interest in creating content that explores culture and heritage in innovative ways, his core focus has been to provide an outlet for young people to tap into a meaningful sense of community.
Nadir adds, ‘Food is so much more than a composition of available ingredients, but memories of moments loved ones and emotions. These aspects give food an added flavour that sticks with us for the rest of our lives.’
The video series looks at the dishes close to his family and traces the various influences it went through over time. Take for instance his Dad’s biryani recipe, he begins the video by asking, ‘Why is my house always full of people?’ but over the course of the video, he stumbles upon the abundance of conversation, laughter, tears, and joy that food added to their lives. All of it started from good food and the realisation that ‘...there are some dishes that you only cook to share’.
You can watch Simmering Memories here.
Check out Nadir’s Instagram here.
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