Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory, and Family (FoodStory)

This food memoir beautifully weaves together the global journeys of South Asian food, delving into the lives of chefs, home cooks, and food stall owners. It's a touching exploration of belonging and the ways that food helps us connect with our past. What sets this book apart is the author's own journey as a daughter of Indian refugees, a woman of color in science, and someone who overcame an abusive marriage. Her personal story adds depth and emotion to the narrative, making it a truly captivating read.

Khabaar is the Bengali word for food and as the author says in an interview with Warwick Books everyone should know a few words in Bengali. Food is an excellent word to know in any language because it is what sustains us.In her memoir, Madhushree Ghosh unfolds her stories of family and homesickness through her love of food. We learn about her history, the history of her family and country, and her personal journey to the United States as a young immigrant pursuing higher education and new opportunities in life. Throughout, Ghosh keeps us tethered to her roots through the food she grew up on.She finds her native dishes in San Diego, searches for them abroad, and revisits them back in South Asia. Her descriptions of the food are delicious, (every pun intended) but her insight into the dynamics of family is profound and brings us together in these times of feeling so distant from one another as we reinvent a world post-COVID-lockdown.The fact that this beautiful book came out on my birthday, 2022, is a coincidence, but I consider it a gift to the world that we all can share.Whether you love memoirs, food writing, or simply learning the history of countries and regions through personal narratives, this book will delight you. And make you hungry. I can't help with the hunger, but I'm sure the book will help with the joy of a well-told story!

Very well written, the author takes you on a journey from India to San Diego. Very powerful on having a sense of place and belonging. The food part mixes in and brings the author back in time. A fond tribute to her parents and having the strength to move forward, even during COVID. My only complaint is that the book is too short.

great memoir!

Enjoyed this very much. An extraordinary story of immigration, achievement, culture, and, always, food.

I am very disappointed. There are 3-4 most common recipes in this book. It is NOT a recipe book but an autobiography. Waste of time and money!

A family story told with food at the center-- Ghosh holds the reader in that comfort, and then she takes us into the political issues of our times. Well done.

After hearing the author read at HippoCamp 2022, I purchased her book immediately. Khabaar offers an intimate view into an immigrant’s two worlds: South Asia and the United States. Ghosh masterfully braids memoir, culture, politics, family, and food into a unified experience. Though I plan to make sweet Naru both ways, it is Ghosh’s story that I will long savor.