When Naomi Duguid last visited Goa for the the 7th edition of Goa Arts and Literary Festival in 2016 and was a part of the session, ‘Photography and Food’ with Rohit Chawla, she not only spoke about her book, ‘Taste of Persia: A Cook’s Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan’ but she also showcased photographs of the variety of breads devoured in different countries. This year, her conversation with Vikram Doctor today, February 16, at 12 pm in Mandovi Hall, International Centre Goa, Dona Paula, will be even interesting as she will throw light on the most important ingredient in every kitchen, Salt, through her new book, ‘The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform your Food’.
Based in Toronto, Canada, Naomi Duguid is a writer, traveler, and photographer. Besides her latest book, ‘The Miracle of Salt’, her previous books include ‘Burma: Rivers of Flavor’ and ‘Taste of Persia: Culinary Travels in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan’. She is the co-author of six other award-winning books of food and travel, ‘Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey through South-East Asia’; ‘Seductions of Rice; Flatbreads and Flavors’; ‘Home Baking The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition Around the World’; ‘Mangoes and Curry Leaves: Culinary Travels through the Great Subcontinent’ and ‘Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China’.
Speaking about her experience at GALF, Naomi reminisces, “ I remember the openness of discussions, with all kinds of people. And I remember listening to Ram Guha give a fascinating keynote, and to being in a public conversation, a panel with Kaveri Ponnapa, where we talked about doing research and how important it is to listen and to watch hand movements, how the dishes with the simplest ingredients are often the most difficult to make well (chapati is a great example of that). But most of all, I remember the spirit of open-mindedness and curiosity. I am really looking forward to being back at GALF this year.”
Naomi seamlessly blends the fields of travel and good local food through her writings. How does she get inspired with food? “Food is a powerful way to understand place and culture. My writing about food and my photography came from travel and curiosity about how other people live. I am not especially interested in food as product, but instead as evidence of human ingenuity, creativity. Food interests me most as a way of understanding the human landscape, from agriculture, to labour practices, to home cooking. I enjoy being a beginner and coming to understand the basics of a particular food culture. And strangely enough I do enjoy figuring out how to write clear instructions, recipes that are inviting and not intimidating. I like cooking for other people,” says Naomi.
In her work, she explores daily home-cooked foods in their cultural context through stories, recipes, and photographs. Naomi is a Trustee of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery. Why ‘home cooked’ food and is there a common thread running through the food from the mid-eastern and east-European nations like Iran, Kurdistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia or are they starkly different? “Home-cooking is quite different from most restaurant cooking, a daily round of making best use of available ingredients. And it’s that practicality and necessity, rather than chef-style performance that interests me. My book ‘Taste of Persia’ is centreed in a region that has over a long history been influenced by Persian culture. And those countries have very different languages, religions, etc, but they make use of similar/same ingredients, and so there’s a thread that connects them, from the use of tart fruits in savory dishes, brilliant techniques for preserving fruit
for winter (fruit leathers, compotes, morabas, etc), a widespread use of fresh herbs in dishes and at the table, a deep bread tradition, and more,” explains Naomi.
She further adds, “I would describe these countries as being not in Eastern Europe but in West Asia (Iran and Kurdish Iraq) and the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia). I was first in Georgia while it was part of the Soviet Union, in 1989, just before that colossus broke up. And on return trips since 2013, I’ve seen huge changes. But the culture of hospitality, and the generous feasting that goes on is a constant. And it’s a feature of the other parts of the region too. Perhaps I’ve been lucky, because I’ve been able to travel on my own, so that I often find myself in conversations with strangers and that is one of the best parts of travel.”
She has jointly put out five books with her former husband Jeffery Alford on world cooking. All five books were major successes and have won Cookbook of the Year from the James Beard Foundation in 1996 and 2001 as well as Cuisine Canada Cookbook Award in 1999 and 2004.
Her book, ‘Mango and Curry Leaves…’ brought her closer to Indian cuisine. “It’s impossible to generalize about Indian food because it is so diverse, so varied, and to me, so interesting and delicious. Apart from those adjectives, the other ones that come to mind are the creativity of cooks in all regions, and the deep understanding of how best to use their ingredients. The diversity of food cultures in India is astonishing. I am always a beginner, because there is such sophistication and such a variety of dishes and foods, among different communities and regions. So it is always a pleasure to be in India, to look and smell and taste, and have yet more chances to be amazed,” concludes Naomi.