There is no dearth of literature on food. The world has given us volumes on feasts and famines, pages soaked in butter and spiced with nostalgia, and words that have simmered slowly, like grandmom's slow-cooked stew. From M.F.K. Fisher’s lyrical musings to the evocative descriptions of Proust’s madeleine, food has always been at the heart of literature.

India, too, has its share of culinary chroniclers (recipes passed down as poetry, food woven into folklore, meals that tell the story of migration and conquest). And yet, until now, India has never had a festival dedicated to the literature of food.

That is about to change.

On March 22, 2025, the mist-laden city of Dehradun will witness the birth of something extraordinary: the Dehradun Food Literature Festival, a first-of-its-kind gathering where food meets storytelling, where writers, historians, and culinary connoisseurs will come together to celebrate the art of chronicling food.

At the heart of this festival are food writer, culinary consultant, and author Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, and Shruti Gupta, founder of Monsoon, the brand new restaurant that will host this event. Together, they have curated a day of incisive conversations, delicious discoveries, and a tribute to India’s vibrant food cultures.

A Festival of Memory and the Written Meal:

“We are memory keepers,” she says. “So much of India’s food history isn’t written in books: it lives in kitchens, in oral traditions, in the recipes that grandmothers pass on to children.”

This is what makes food literature more than just words on a page. It is a repository of knowledge. And this festival is designed to celebrate that, bringing together voices from across India to discuss, dissect, and document the way we eat.

Restaurateur Shruti Gupta has always been passionate about food as a storytelling medium. “When we conceptualized this festival, we wanted it to be more than just about books. Food is a mirror of culture, history, and personal identity,” she said.

Lineup Steeped in Stories:

From seasoned food writers to cultural historians, from home chefs reviving lost recipes to journalists uncovering the politics of what we eat, the festival is bringing together an eclectic mix of voices. Seated is limited and tickets can be purchased online.

Expect to hear from:

Lokesh Ohri, cultural historian and author, on food as a vessel of history.

Rana Safvi, chronicler of heritage, on the strong ties between food and India’s past.

Sadaf Hussain, storyteller and chef, on the evolution of home cooking.

Sourish Bhattacharya, journalist, on the business and culture of dining out.

Ruth Dsouza Prabhu, food writer, on tracing culinary influences across borders.

Pawan Soni, author, on India’s street food culture.

Kalyan Karmakar, the keeper of food stories, on the art of writing about food.

Anubhav Sapra, Nikhil Merchant, and Priyadarshini Chatterjee, who will explore the intersection of food, nostalgia, and storytelling.

Moderating these discussions will be Maanas Lal, Roopa Soni, Sameer Sewak, and Sidhant Arora from Dehradun, bringing local voices into the fold.

The festival’s setting will be enriched by a menu that spans the length and breadth of India: Kashmiri Yakhni and Harissa from the snow-covered valleys of the north, Himachali Siddu, Rajasthani Laal Maas, Bihari Chokha and Sattu Paratha, Thatte Idli, Appam with Ghee Roast, and Goan Cafreal Curry, reflecting the richness of southern and coastal cuisines; Garhwali and Kumaoni thalis, bringing out the lesser-known flavours of Uttarakhand.

To highlight the unique food traditions of Uttarakhand, there will also be a special presentation and lunch by Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, paying tribute to a cuisine that has been overlooked, despite its deep-rooted traditions.

For Shruti Gupta, this festival is a passion project, a dream finally coming to life. “I am really excited to finally bring this vision to life and see how it grows year after year,” she said.

Rushina added: “What people eat, when they eat, how they eat, and where they eat become important windows to understanding cultures. The Dehradun Food Literature Festival is a tribute to this idea. It is about bringing together perspectives, voices, and stories that will shape how we think about food and writing in years to come.”

The Dehradun Food Literature Festival is for the intellectual foodie and the food-loving intellectual, for those who savour words as much as they love a slow-cooked curry, for those who believe that every recipe is a story waiting to be told.

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