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Synopsis This Companion outlines the enormous variety of cuisines, food materials and dishes that collectively fall under the term 'Indian food'. Drawing upon material from a range of sources - literature, archaeology, epigraphic records, anthropology, philology, and botanical and genetic studies - the book chronologically details the history of Indian food, beginning with prehistoric times and ending with British rule. Achaya discusses the various regional cuisines, theories and classification of food, as well as the customs, rituals and beliefs observed by different communities and religious groups. This book won an international prize awarded by the Italian food promotion organization, Premio Langhe Ceretto in 1995. Extensively revised since its first publication in 1994, this rich storehouse of fascinating information on Indian food will interest food aficionados, historians, anthropologists, and general readers.