Rooted Reads

the long way an ingredient travels to reach your plate

EDITOR'S NOTE

We often think of food in simple terms. Something we cook. Something we eat. Something we reach for when we are hungry.

But if we look a little closer, almost every ingredient has a story.
A grain may have grown in a particular landscape for centuries. A spice may have travelled across regions before becoming a familiar part of the kitchen. A recipe may carry the memory of a grandmother, a festival, a season, or a place.
Some of the foods we consider ordinary today have travelled surprisingly long journeys to become part of our everyday lives. That is where this edition of Rooted Reads begins.

This month, we are looking beyond the plate to explore the stories behind what we eat where ingredients come from, how they became part of our food traditions, and why certain foods continue to find their way back into our kitchens, generation after generation.

Because food is rarely just food. It is history, geography, culture, memory, and nature often sitting together in something as simple as a bowl on the table.

So, let’s take a closer look at the foods we think we already know. There may be more to their story than we expect.

WISDOM OF WELLNESS

The Journey of Black Pepper

Black pepper is one of those ingredients we hardly think about. It sits on our kitchen shelves, ready to be added to almost anything. But this tiny spice has travelled a surprisingly long way.

Native to South India, especially the Malabar Coast, black pepper grows as small green berries on a climbing vine. Once dried, they become the peppercorns we know today.

For centuries, pepper was more than a seasoning. It was a valuable trade spice, carried from the Indian coast to kitchens across the world. Over time, it became part of food traditions far beyond where it first grew.

Black pepper contains piperine, the natural compound responsible for its sharp taste. Piperine has been studied for its antioxidant properties and its potential to improve the absorption of certain compounds, including curcumin.

Today, we simply grind it over our food without thinking much about its journey. From a vine in South India to kitchen tables around the world, black pepper has quite a story to tell.

Sometimes, the ingredients we use every day have travelled the longest journey.

From Our Pantry

Moringa—From Tree to Table

The moringa tree has long been familiar across parts of India, where its leaves, flowers and pods have found their way into everyday cooking.

Today, moringa is appearing in everything from powders to capsules and modern wellness products. But before it became a wellness trend, it was simply part of the landscape and the kitchen. Sometimes, what looks like a new discovery is really an old ingredient being looked at again.

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

Moringa Dal

A comforting bowl of dal with the goodness of moringa leaves. It’s a simple way to add leafy greens to an everyday meal without changing the dish too much.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup toor dal
• 1 cup fresh moringa leaves, washed
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 green chilli
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• A few curry leaves
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 1–2 tsp oil or ghee
• Salt to taste
• 2–3 cups water

METHOD

• Wash the toor dal and cook it with turmeric and enough water until soft.
• Meanwhile, heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
• Once they start to crackle, add curry leaves, garlic, green chilli, and onion. Sauté until the onion softens.
• Add the chopped tomato and cook until it becomes soft.
• Add the moringa leaves and cook for 2–3 minutes until they wilt.
• Add the cooked dal and mix everything together.
• Add water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
• Season with salt and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Serve hot with rice, roti, or enjoy it as a wholesome bowl on its own.

ROOTED TIP

Add a small piece of jaggery while the dal simmers.

Just a little balances the bitterness of moringa leaves and gives the dal a naturally rounded flavour.

A DOSE OF CURIOSITY

Did you know?

Amla isn't just a fruit, its botanical name is Phyllanthus emblica. The small green fruit has been part of Indian food and traditional practices for generations. Its sour, distinctive taste is one of those flavours that is instantly familiar to many Indian palates. A tiny fruit with a surprisingly long story.

THIS MONTH'S WORD TO REMEMBER

Terroir

A term describing how a place's soil, climate, and environment can influence the character of what is grown there. A little more sophisticated.

The Punchline

PLANT, ACTUALLY

Bananas Have a Secret

One interesting botanical fact at a time. The banana you eat today is very different from many of its wild relatives.

Wild bananas usually contain large, hard seeds, making them difficult to eat. The familiar bananas we buy are mostly seedless because generations of cultivation selected plants with softer, less noticeable seeds.

So, the banana in your fruit bowl is actually the result of a very long relationship between plants and people. From wild fruit to everyday snacks humans helped shape the banana we know today.

ONE SMALL RITUAL

Eat With the Season

Before every fruit was available all year round, seasons naturally shaped what appeared on the table. Try bringing a little of that rhythm back.

This month, pick one seasonal ingredient from your local market and make it part of a meal. No complicated wellness routine. No rules. Just one simple habit: Notice what nature is offering, and eat accordingly.