Calcutta is home to some of the finest food in India. Its Bengali cuisine is considered the most sophisticated food in India. With its inexhaustible roll-call of fish and vegetables, its pungency derived from the widespread use of mustard (both seeds and oil) and its tempering with a blend of five spices known as panch phoron, it is an evolved yet accessible cuisine. Bengalis have a passion for good food-its authenticity, its freshness, its part in social occasions, and the pleasure of serving it all at the table. The Calcutta Kitchen captures the essence of those pleasures through the evocative narrative of Simon Parkes, the recipes of renowned chef Udit Sarkhel, and the pictures of award-winning photographer Jason Lowe. The Calcutta Kitchen brings you recipes from one of the best-known Bengali chefs, Udit Sarkhel, and snapshots of the fish ponds, markets, artisan food producers, restaurants, clubs, cooks, gourmet and street foods that play a part in the city's rich culinary culture.