OP: Invitation to Indian Cooking

Alfred A. Knopf, 1973. Hardcover. Very Good. First printing.

In 1973, two significant cookbooks, which expanded American cooks’ vision and opened up the world a little wider, were published. They were Paula Wolfert’s Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco (Harper & Row) and Madhur Jaffrey’s An Invitation to Indian Cooking (Knopf). 

Jaffrey (1933– ), a fine writer and highly charismatic spokesperson for Indian food—she has also carried an entirely separate career as an actor—is an effective and welcoming teacher. Her lively, often anecdotal introductions to the recipes do indeed invite users to explore food that was still foreign, in all senses of the word, to American palates in the early 1970s. 

She says in the introduction:

To me the word ‘curry’ is as degrading to India’s great cuisine as the term ‘chop suey’ was to China’s. But just as Americans have learned, in the last few years, to distinguish between the different styles of Chinese cooking and between different dishes, I fervently hope that they will soon do the same with Indian food instead of lumping it all under the dubious catchall title of ‘curry.’

Though the book recognizes that some ingredients may not be easily acquired and cautions about spicy dishes, Jaffrey delivers recipes with integrity, establishing the foundation and authority for her dozens of subsequent cookbooks. 

With pleasure we offer a first printing of Jaffrey’s first book in Very Good condition. An occasional pen mark or food stain can be found within, though those flaws are the exception. Printed on sturdy stock, the interior is crisp and clean, primed for the next generation of curious cooks. The jacket is intact and shows minimal shelfwear. 

Now also available in its 50th anniversary edition.