Meetha lassi and bhel puri; paneer tikka and masalas, chutneys, and samosas. All visitors to India are greeted by an astonishing display of roadside snacks throughout the country: from the teeming lanes of Old Delhi to the hot, dusty streets in the remote countryside. It is painfully hard to resist the smells and sights and tastes of this roadside food, prepared in front of customers’ eyes with the freshest ingredients and a good helping of panache and showmanship. The acclaimed photographer Sephi Bergerson has been tracking down the very best street food in the country, which has been his home for the past seven years. This book is a celebration of this splendid everyday cuisine and a virtual feast in itself. With authentic and detailed recipes for the simplest and tastiest dishes in the repertoire, using ingredients easily found in the West, this serving will inspire and intoxicate in equal measure.
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Editorial Reviews
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"Some of the photographs in this book are so beautiful they look like carefully crafted dishes made for a glossy magazine shoot...the recipes are delicious and can easily be recreated using ingredients found in the West . . . a pure pleasure."-- Sunday Telegraph
"This wonderful blend of both cookbook and photo journey is a feast for the palate as well as the eyes. " --Tuscon Citizen
"Mr. Bergerson accomplishes the rare feat of capturing how people eat, not just what" -- Florence Fabricant, New York Times
"A beautiful new book...lovely photos" --- Bob Batz, Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
About the Author
Sephi Bergerson is an independent photographer based in New Delhi since 2002. Previously a commercial photographer and president of the Professional Photographers’ Association in Israel, he received the Hazel Greenwald award for documentary photography in 1991 and was nominated for Photographer of the Year in 1998.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
If only there was a way to package sounds and smells to go with the photos
September 10, 2010
By S. Chopp
Format:Hardcover
Limiting oneself to just 50 of the greatest Indian snacks is a feat in itself. Add to it rich, colorfully detailed photos of individual snacks direct from the streets of various cities across India, and you have this substantially sized hardcover book good enough for the coffee table or kitchen collection.
Actual photos taken around Bombay, Delhi, Amritsar and Varanasi, show readers just how ingrained street vendors are in the Indian palette. And while the selections truly are some of the best snacks, many of which I have sampled, a broad representation from all corners of the country are missing.
DIY recipes are included for the most passionate to attempt in recreating at home. But, as any lover of street food will attest to, part of the joy in handing over your cash in exchange for a freshly steamed momo or fried samosa, is the experience of eating with others in the open as the world passes.
First time travelers will enjoy comparing their notes while learning a bit more about the food represented in the book. Locals and repeat tourists will read the book as a trip down memory lane; Memories of places where you drank the best cup of chai, or encountered a night of restless pain at the hands of tainted food just a few hours earlier. Either way, it left me hungry and eager to return to the streets.
Actual photos taken around Bombay, Delhi, Amritsar and Varanasi, show readers just how ingrained street vendors are in the Indian palette. And while the selections truly are some of the best snacks, many of which I have sampled, a broad representation from all corners of the country are missing.
DIY recipes are included for the most passionate to attempt in recreating at home. But, as any lover of street food will attest to, part of the joy in handing over your cash in exchange for a freshly steamed momo or fried samosa, is the experience of eating with others in the open as the world passes.
First time travelers will enjoy comparing their notes while learning a bit more about the food represented in the book. Locals and repeat tourists will read the book as a trip down memory lane; Memories of places where you drank the best cup of chai, or encountered a night of restless pain at the hands of tainted food just a few hours earlier. Either way, it left me hungry and eager to return to the streets.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Thyla
Format:Hardcover
I got this book as a gift for Christmas. Everything about this book is great..The dishes look delectable and the writing through out the book is easy to read, informative and nostalgic for those who have eaten in the streets of Delhi. It is a great coffee table book with incredibly candid shots of Delhi street vendors selling the food. After perusing the book, I did make a couple of the items featured in the book and consulted the recipes too. hmm..hmm..good!!! It makes for a great gift.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The book is beautiful--full of pictures and color and some interesting recipes. Most of the book is photography, with recipes "on the side." One problem with the book is that it is somewhat impractical: the recipes are not conducive to cooking in a western style kitchen, with western ingredients, so it is somewhat difficult to duplicate the results... however with some creativity the formulas can serve as a springboard for attempts to make delicious Indian street food. Since it's not a "plug and play" type recipe book, it would not be advisable for cooks who are not familiar with Indian tastes to purchase this book, and it would not be ideal for timid cooks or cooks who prefer to follow recipes exactly.
The reason I couldn't give this book a five star rating is because of the above-noted impracticality of the recipes. That warranted four stars. However, I had to pull it down another notch to three-stars just because of the tone taken by the authors in the commentaries. I felt that the narration and commentary was somewhat racist and insensitive, seeming to characterize much street food as "poor man's" this or "poor man's" that, treating the people almost as specimens to be observed and amused by rather than people whose culture deserves respect and admiration.
The reason I couldn't give this book a five star rating is because of the above-noted impracticality of the recipes. That warranted four stars. However, I had to pull it down another notch to three-stars just because of the tone taken by the authors in the commentaries. I felt that the narration and commentary was somewhat racist and insensitive, seeming to characterize much street food as "poor man's" this or "poor man's" that, treating the people almost as specimens to be observed and amused by rather than people whose culture deserves respect and admiration.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Low resolution Photos
The photo illustrations were very low res and left a lot to be desired. I would have liked to see a wider set of regions covered to call it street food of India.
Published 3 months ago by tukurtukur
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of pics
This is a great book for my wife. She is Indian, but knows very little of the cooking culture. She will have a good time flipping through this book.
Published 5 months ago by Good shoe - bad shoe size
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring Read!
I purchased this book as my wife wanted to read more about foods she missed from home. Now she wants to open a restaurant of her own now. Read more
Published 15 months ago by T. Brant
1.0 out of 5 stars
I wanted recipes - not photos
Like I said, I wanted recipes. Just got this for Christmas and I was really disappointed once I had a chance to look through the book. Read more
Published 17 months ago by William Hopke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good coffee table book.
Bought this gift for an ex-chef from a restaurant. They love it. Great concept, good layout, and a solid coffee table book.
Published 19 months ago by Mr. Dip
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great photos
Great photos of India, but the recipes are not specific enough for me....I cook Indian food very frequently and find that Julie Sahni's recipes, although long, make for delicious... Read more
Published on March 7, 2011 by asiana
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Book!
This is a visually stunning book. The main focus of this collection is definitely the photographs, with the recipes taking a back seat. Read more
Published on February 12, 2011 by K
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