Diverse Histories & Traditions Find A Home At India’s First Culinary Museum

Earlier this year, Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna inaugurated India’s first culinary museum – an innovative testament to centuries of India’s diverse and creative culinary culture. The museum will eventually feature over 10,000 objects from every region of India, some dating back to the Harappan civilisation and others from Portuguese and Jewish settlers over the years. It displays a 100-year-old ladle used to pour food in temples as well as unique plates and vessels from the Konkan, Udipi and Chettinad regions. The collection also includes handmade ice-cream churners, colourful chapatti rolling pins and handcrafted wooden spice boxes. Together they showcase a vast, little-known history of the country we inhabit.

“It is a very big project, I want to preserve all of our country’s rich culinary history in our humble way. There is no other place in the world, believe me, which has such diversity. And what better way to do it than with food. The history of India’s rich tradition of culinary arts must be preserved to educate the generations to come,” Khanna said. The museum, valued at approximately $4 million, spreads across 25,000 square feet with the exterior shaped like a giant pot, inspired by Khanna’s own love of bartans that overflow in his New York Apartment.

Born and raised in Amritsar, Khanna cooked from a young age and has gone on to work in some of the most influential kitchens in India and in the world. He is currently the judge on MasterChef India and runs his own fabulous restaurant, Junoon, in New York City. The museum, dedicated to his father who bought him his very first tandoor, is located at Khanna’s alma mater, Manipal University.

The museum is a “living” one – people can donate their utensils and add to the collection their own personal heirlooms and histories. After all, the history of cooking in India is a deeply personal one that is comprised of eccentric family traditions and practices. Khanna plans to exhibit parts of this museum in cities around the world. “This would help us to bring these pieces of art, culture, traditions and evolution to global attention,” he added.

Feature image courtesy of Greaves India.

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