Book Review: Feast: With a Taste of Amir Khusro by Bisma Tirmizi

Feast: With a Taste of Amir Khusro
Author: Bisma Tirmizi
Publisher: Rupa Publishers
Rating: 4/5

Amir Khusro was one of the most influential poets of his time. Poignant and mellifluous, his poetry always left an imprint on the soul. A conflux of his soulful writing and piquant recipes, ‘Feast’ is not only racy but also savoury. It is not a story; it is not poetry either. In fact, it seems like a cookbook by passion and a memoir by choice. Backed up by with impressive narrative and offering a potluck of emotions, stories and characters, Feast is literally a repast for ravenous minds!

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach but Bisma Tirmizi is omniscient, as she knows the way to a reader’s mind too. She describes a very relatable character- Ayesha- who belongs to a bourgeois family. Ayesha becomes upset the moment she realizes that she has gained weight because of SNACcident! The plot explores her love for food and the way her vibrant mind defines the concept of healthy living and healthy eating. She discovers the secret recipes and the stories behind them as the storyline progresses and to quench the hunger of the readers’ mind, the authoress adds a little flavour by including those recipes too. Ayesha is keen and eager. She wants to know more about food. Hence, each chapter narrates a story of one loved one and the food that is bound to give the readers a reminiscent bump.

With a delicious cover and a luscious colour combination, ‘Feast’ is sumptuous! It gives us a chance to recall the moments spent with our family and trace back the discovery of food recipes that are an integral part of every family. Each chapter focusses on a place and the rich cuisine originating there and gives us a taste of Paradise or in Amir Khusro’s words, “Gar firdaus bar rue Zameen ast/ Hameen asto, Hameen asto, Hameen asto (If ever there is Paradise on Earth/ It is here! It is here! It is here!)”.

Buying Link: Amazon