Namaste and welcome to theroute2roots!

January 2017

A brief  update….  as the journey to explore native foods continues,  the craft stories had to be  paused   given the professional commitments.Until we can take it up actively,  Sheetal will continue exploring the native foods of Gujarat, document the fast vanishing food practices and traditions of Gujarati cuisine and to promote healthy home cooked foods….

February 2015

We are Sheetal and Rinkal, the duo behind this blog, acquaintances turned teammates turned best buddies,  born & brought up in Ahmedabad – a thriving metropolis of Gujarat, India. After our long association with professional social work that took us to the remote parts of Gujarat, we now pursue independent careers as freelance development consultants, one a home baker and another a  lifestyle products designer.

Rinkal

The ‘Route to Roots’ is a journey we plan to take through memory lanes and contemporary social practices to understand the ideas and local social ecosystems that had huge influence in shaping our lives and value systems. Through this space we make an effort to bring to you the food practices & traditional wisdom of the culture we grew up and live in, a culture we feel is threatened and is rapidly disappearing amidst the pressures of modern lifestyles and global influences.

Both of us have been raised in large joint family systems, where food is about home cooking, honest flavors and sharing. Every meal was thoughtfully planned and lovingly prepared by the women in our families. Foods that are now termed as must-haves, super foods, millets, whole grains, whole foods etc. have always been and continue to be an integral part of our food culture. As advocates of fresh and whole foods, it pains us when children in urban households look down upon staple and simple home cooked meals. As much as we are embracing foreign food staples into our meals, we are distancing ourselves from our own foods. While the earlier is fine, the later is bit of a concern for us.

Also the entire process of cooking meals at home is now considered more of a drag rather than predilection…. Cooking is an art and life skill that the coming generations need to assimilate. So how do we make the experience of cooking meals at home more enjoyable and participative? This is one the things we plan to do through the Food Stories.

We grew up during times, when ‘handmade’ wasn’t a cliché but a way of life, naturally because everyone was skilled in one or the other crafts, at least some hand embroidery. Every piece of cloth or home décor was weaved or crafted either by the household member or by the traditional craft communities be it potters, weavers, ironsmiths, wood crafters to name a few. The dexterous skills these communities possess are matchless. Earlier, each of these communities had huge significance in our social mesh. Over the years we as a society have overlooked their existence!! The Craft tales here are the results of the quest to find out those faceless & nameless people, whose aesthetics and skills hold very a proud place in every household in some or the other way.

We invite you to be a part of this journey as we set to explore our beautiful people, their culture and the stories on food and crafts of our rich and diverse land….

The stories, recipes, photographs here are the snippets of childhood nostalgia, simple joys and reflections on changing socio-cultural scenario….

The recipes featured here are either heirloom, our adaptations, begged and borrowed (all duly credited here) or from our extensive collection of recipe books.

Thank you for stopping by…..

 

 

 

 

14 Comments

  • Reply
    sandhya
    July 22, 2019 at 9:45 pm

    You are the best ! Love your blog, your presentation is a breath of fresh air. You have such a wonderful ideas, you are an inspiration.

    • Reply
      Sheetal
      July 27, 2019 at 12:26 pm

      Hey Sandhya,

      Thank you so much for leaving such encouraging feedback. Glad you have loved this place.

  • Reply
    Enrica
    January 24, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    Hello ! Wonderful blog, I really empathize with your mission, as I’m trying to do the same as you on my small blog Italian Riviera traditional cuisine. Keep on posting and telling food stories!!!

    • Reply
      Sheetal
      January 27, 2020 at 9:29 am

      Hello Enrica. Thank you so much for stoping by and writing in. I looked up your wonderful space. Trust me I am going to be cooking a lot of what you have shared as we love Italian cuisine. Your posts are so informative and nuanced. Loved to read the history of foods you share.

      Hope we continue on our mission.

      Much love.

  • Reply
    Vaibhavi Rajenbhai Chudasama
    December 4, 2020 at 3:14 pm

    Amazing blog guys. I feel so obliged getting to know about the diversity in Indian esp. Gujarati food culture.
    Keep it up 👏👏

    • Reply
      Sheetal
      December 5, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      Thank you so much for stopping by Vaibhavi. I am so glad the blog has been instrumental in connecting us to our roots. ❤️

  • Reply
    Sukshma Iyer
    February 8, 2021 at 3:40 am

    Lovely blog and wonderful array of authentic Gujarati recipes. Keep it up! Growing up in Mumbai, I had a lot of Gujarati neighbors and school mates and I have enormous respect for their enthusiasm, creativity, handiwork and cooking skills. Plus I’m a satvik vegetarian, so Gujarati cuisine appeals to me a lot as most Gujju food is devoid of onion and garlic.

    • Reply
      Sheetal
      July 1, 2022 at 5:20 pm

      Hello Sukshmaji,

      Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such encouraging feedback. Agreed, the satvik vegetarian cuisine of Gujarat is ingenious and tasty as the same time. I am glad you found this space useful.

  • Reply
    Dipti Pathak
    June 8, 2022 at 5:36 pm

    Hello,
    I must say … a very interesting blog. Keep it up, we share the same values, that is of giving due respect to our culture and traditions.
    I came across this blog while I was looking for more details about the Lila naliyer halvo. I came across this delicacy while passing through Mangrol towards Somnath. My husband and myself being foodies couldn’t resist the numerous signboards promoting the halwa. We just stopped at a quaint little shop for it . It was heavenly so on returning to Ahmedabad we thought of calling up the number on the box to enquire for delivery here.
    Everything worked out and lo! The next day I was relishing the same taste sitting at home in Ahmedabad.
    Thought of sharing this experience after reading your wonderful blog.

    • Reply
      Sheetal
      July 1, 2022 at 5:13 pm

      Hello Dipti,

      I am so glad this blog popped up and thank you for stopping by!!

      Khadim Paak is such an interesting delicacy, I am yet to taste the original version. I was told by the family of Khadimbhai that the tender coconut cream they use is the catch ( is to found in the coconuts of Mangrol) as it differentiates Khadim Paak from Kopra Paak. Now that I am back in Ahmedabad, hopefully I get to enjoy the real one soon.

  • Reply
    Sonal Vora
    February 26, 2023 at 5:58 am

    Inspired by your Cucumber and Multigrain Pudla recipe, I used a slightly different multigrain flour mix with the same “other ingredients”. What seemed disastrous at first was not only salvageable, but turned out to be a great recipe I will use over and over for an easy, satisfying and nutritious dinner or breakfast! On my regular repertoire now. Thanks a bunch, ladies.

    • Reply
      Sheetal
      February 27, 2023 at 9:31 am

      Phew, thank god it worked. Each flour behaves differently so the key is to crack the right mix, glad you did. Thank you so much for trying the recipe and writing in.

  • Reply
    Dhara
    July 4, 2023 at 2:29 pm

    Hi Sheetal! Dropped in to say I have been an ardent follower of your work in documenting traditional practices and recipes. I am a Gujarati and have a very warm corner of stories of my Nani and her cooking ways that I have heard from my mother. While Nani passed away when my mother, your stories ignite a fantastical portrayal of her. I am a filmmaker and would really like to make films surrounding food trails and folklore for your blog. Let me know how we can chat further 🙂

    Love,
    Dhara

    • Reply
      Sheetal
      July 4, 2023 at 3:48 pm

      Thank you so much for dropping by with this lovely message, Dhara. It does make my heart warm up when the work I do succeeds to evoke beautiful memories of people we love.

      I will email you my whatapp number to take this conversation further.

      much love,

      Sheetal

    Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.