One of the first assumptions I had was that it was possible to find an ingredient or dish or cooking method that was common to all Indians. However, I realized that khichdi, which is present in many Indian dishes, is prepared in simple and complex ways by various groups. Khichri Dawud Khani (of Rampuri cuisine) makes use of eggs, meat, and spinach, whereas Khichri-i Gujarati makes use of onion, garlic and cinnamon and other spices but there is no meat. Khichdi is derived from the Sanskrit word khicca, a dish made of lentils and rice. KT Achaya claims that this dish is known as krusaranna from old texts. It's a recipe made with rice, yogurt, and sesame seeds. Jahangir was so fond of an incredibly spicy khichdi recipe (enriched with raisins and pistachios) that he decided to name it "lazeezan" (which is a translation of "delicious").

Pluralism and a sense of hybridity are central to Indian cuisine, making food reflect VS Naipaul's description of the country as "a million mutinies".

Another assumption was that our bodies are able to handle any kind of food or diet, however I found that there's an incredibly strong connection between what our bodies process and what our ancestors ate. My cholesterol levels dropped when I tried eating the same food that my grandparents ate and also, I followed the same rhythms that my grandparents did. Research has proven that our genes play an important factor in the way our bodies take in nutrients. This is surprising considering the fact that Indians haven't changed their genetic constitution since the Bronze Age.

What made you write the "food biographical" of India?

I didn't set out to write a food biography of India. It was an experiment. It was an experiment. I wanted to look into food issues without being bound by any specific discipline. I let my mind wander and ask whatever question it would like to, and then delved into the research conducted in various disciplines. I began thinking of Indian Food as a mosaic, where groups, regions and religion played an important role.

What were the questions that kept popping up while you were writing the sections?

My approach was to begin by asking a question like "Does food have any religious significance?" Does it follow the same way that Muslims and Hindus are taking towards food? I was then able to discover the theories of doshas and humours within Ayurveda. I consulted historical, anthropological, political and scientific works in which new research has clarified or created more questions. The idea of equilibrium in a dish, and the balance it creates in the person who eats it, kept popping up.

A food-related book should include a section on poison. It's an interesting addition.

Food is a vital part of vitality, but it could also be fatal. I love crime fiction in which Indian food, murder and poison are paired. This is true especially of Agatha's books about poisons and plants. In my research to understand why that was so, someone told me about John Lancaster's novel, The Debt to Pleasure (1996). The book has an absolutely amazing, yet dangerously undependable Narrator. He is an epicure who ponders the seasonal menus, Normandy cuisine, and explores the differences between artists and murderers. He also masters the art of identifying the right mushrooms for certain unmentioned activities.

Which cookbooks on food do you turn to for ideas?

I enjoy food memoirs and enjoy re-reading favourites such as (Pellegrino) Artusi, Anthony Bourdain, Bill Buford and Ruth Reichl. My top cookbooks for recipes are the Moti Mahal Cook Book (2009 by Monish Gujral) and recipes from Doreen Hassan, Balbir Singh, Rukmini Srinivas, and Meenakshi Ammal, for Indian food. For Italian I go to Marcella Hazan, for Persian food, Najmieh Batmanglij, and for international food, Delia Smith.