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For the longest time, I have struggled to understand one feature of Mumbai’s dining scene. Nearly 80 years after independence, why does a stratum of the city’s elite still eat bland, boiled, mashed, white-sauce-deluged holdovers from the colonial era? In a city brimming with cheap and tasty eats, how is it possible that people willingly empty their wallets for things like Chicken Cecilia or Shepherd’s Pie? How on earth can Indian palates tolerate the stuff?

Pronoti Datta, the author of a new book on Mumbai’s food history, is, unlike me, impartial enough to not pass judgment on the taste (or lack thereof?) of some Mumbaikars. Instead, she uses the city’s Continental fare to launch a rich and detailed account of Mumbai’s food history. And, beyond those grim redoubts of white sauce concoctions (pardon my continued editorialising), she discovers a galaxy of delicious and beguiling combinations. Shrimp in banana cake. Eggs on top of bananas. Biryani made out of patrel. And Bombay duck everywhere.

Datta joins Past Imperfect to discuss her book, In the Beginning There Was Bombay Duck, and educate us on the cuisines that feed the Maximum City. Datta digs deep into the colonial past, unearthing stories and recipes from...

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