Remembering Tarla Dalal

Remembering Tarla Dalal

1936 - 2013

Tarla Dalal, the Julia Child of Indian vegetarian cooking and author of over 17,000 recipes and 170 cookbooks, died in her sleep on Wednesday at the age of 77. She revolutionized the very concept of teaching Indian cooking, first focusing on Indian women and later expanding her reach across the globe.

Her influence on the Jain community, both in India and North America is quite apparent.  She highlighted Indian vegetarian cuisine and made it mainstream.  Her Gujarati cultural upbringing and willingness to experiment with bold flavors made vegetarian food appealing to the masses.

JAINA had the great privilege of hosting Tarla Dalal at the 2005 JAINA Convention in Santa Clara, CA.  She presented several sessions, provided cooking demonstrations and even served as judge for the first ever Jain Iron Chef cooking competition.  Her fellow judges Sunita Jain and Chirag Shah, and the audience, found her commentary and enthusiasm inspiring.

Of her many cookbooks, Tarla Dalal also co-authored one with Manoj Jain and Laxmi Jain titled Jain Food: Compassionate and Healthy Living.  In addition to the health benefits of a vegetarian diet, the book expands on the philosophy of food in the Jain tradition where mindful eating is as much a part of religious activity as prayers and scripture reading.  This book has been given out to attendees at YJA Conventions and sold at recent JAINA Conventions.

Today JAINA remembers the many contributions of Tarla Dalal to the Indian and Jain communities across the globe and will continue to share her message of life through cooking.

More interesting articles:

• Noted cookbook author Tarla Dalal Dead - Mithila Phadke, India Times
  
• Gourmet’s lodestar: Tarla Dalal tickled our palate with the delights of India’s eclectic vegetarian traditions - India Times

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