The Whys of Seasoning

Bombay, like most large cosmopolitan cities, is overpopulated, and apartment sizes seem to be constantly shrinking to keep up with the growing demand for housing. My parents’ condominium was modest. We had a tiny kitchen, but to a child curious about food, it was a fascinating place where all the magic happened. Stacked in a wall cabinet were two shelves devoted to my mother’s small collection of dried spices, which she stored in neatly labeled jam jars and plastic containers. To a budding cook and scientist, it was a fully stocked lab.