How caste influences food—from cookbooks to public health ft Sylvia Karpagam and Sucharita Kanjilal

Social media has revolutionised the world of home chefs, bringing everyday cooks into the spotlight. From a woman in the Northeast showcasing her daily thali of fermented foods to a mother-son duo in rural Bengal cooking over a mud stove, food storytelling is more diverse than ever. Cookbooks are emerging from Dalit kitchens to Saraswat Brahmin traditions, highlighting how caste and cuisine remain deeply intertwined in India. But is this visibility changing the role of caste in food, or merely reinforcing old divides?

In this episode, host Sandip Roy is joined by Dr Sucharita Kanjilal, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Bard College, and Dr Sylvia Karpagam, a public health doctor and researcher to discuss how food continues to shape identity, social boundaries, and even public health in India.


Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar