Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Heirloom Cities Book Captures Calcutta’s Layered Food Culture
A new picture-rich book is about Calcutta and its food.
It is the second book in a series called Heirloom Cities.
The book explains that food is an important part of the city’s history and everyday life.
It looks at recipes from homes, streets and restaurants.
It also shows how migration and colonial history influenced what people eat.
The book was introduced during a Bengali lunch at Amar Khamar.
The meal included many traditional dishes, including Shukto, Goyna Bori and millet khichuri.
The creators hope the book will help preserve recipes and memories for the future.
Calcutta, the second Heirloom Cities volume, launched at Amar Khamar with a Bengali lunch.
Editors Madhushree Basu Roy and Anindya Basu led a book featuring contributions from five food and culture writers.
The coffee-table book examines how colonial history, migration and home cooking shaped Calcutta’s cuisine.
The launch menu included dishes such as Shukto with Rohu, Goyna Bori, Foxtail Millet Khichuri and Charred Raw Mango Chicken.
Heirloom Cities’ first volume, Mumbai, launched in May 2025 and won a Gourmand Award.
- Who
- Heirloom Cities, founded by Sri Bodanapu, produced the book; it was edited by Madhushree Basu Roy and Anindya Basu with contributions from Malini Banerjee, Amrita Das, Priyadarshini Chatterjee, Pinaki Bhattacharya and Dolon Dutta Chowdhury.
- What
- The second Heirloom Cities volume, titled Calcutta, was launched as a design-led coffee-table book about the city’s culinary identity.
- When
- The book launched at the event described in the article; the series’ first volume, Mumbai, launched in May 2025.
- Where
- The Calcutta book was launched at Amar Khamar restaurant.
- Why
- The project aims to document the links between food, history, migration, colonial influence and local traditions before recipes and memories fade.
- Book
- Calcutta
- Series
- Heirloom Cities
- Volume
- Second in the series
- Founder
- Sri Bodanapu
- Editors
- Madhushree Basu Roy and Anindya Basu
- Launch venue
- Amar Khamar restaurant
- Earlier volume
- Mumbai, launched in May 2025 and winner of a Gourmand Award