Pakashastra

The history of a nation’s table is a reflection of the civilization of that nation. To show the changes in the order and serving of meals from century to century to describe and comment on the progress of cuisine, is to paint a picture of the many stages through which a nation has evolved. Since the distance times when as a weak tribe men lived in dark caves, eating wild roots, raw fish, flesh of animals killed with the spear. It is this history that is the subject of “Paka Shastra” in which Mrs. Meera Kanungo has outlined all the improvements bought to the culinary art. Those who make a profession in culinary art will find in this book, what the art of good eating today. Housewives will be interested in the evolution of the regional cuisine. Professional cooks both men and women will able to draw inspiration from principles of culinary technique found on the knowledge and authority of the author. The paucity of standard books on cooking in Odia language prompted the author to write this book for the benefit of these engaged in either imparting or acquiring knowledge of cookery in educational institutes. The present book will help the housewives to understand food preparation better. Cooks working in hotels and restaurant kitchen will find it useful as it has been presented in simple local language. The author has endeavored to incorporate all the available material into a comprehensive but brief account of cooking. The book highlights the role of various food items and cookery principles. The book is an outcome of long years of practice and research by the author. The present edition of the PAKASHASTRA is the improvement on its first edition authored by late Dipti Patanaik and Meera Kanungo. I came across both of them in late Nineteen seventies when they were doing a course in the then Food Craft Institute and I was faculty member. From those days it has been their keen interest in documenting their experience out of which the first edition of Pakasashtra was evolved and that book was out of market in no time. After the demise of Dipti Patanaik efforts have been made by Mrs. Meera Kanungo to take an improved edition with much better imputed. I am sure the book will be accepted by both housewives and professionals in it’s new and advanced edition.

Bishnu Prasad Tripathy, Retired Principal of ‘Institute of Hotel Management’, Bhubaneswar