The second edition of The landour Cookbook; Over Hundred Years of Hillside Cooking is set to hit the stands.
Published by Roli Books, this is not just another run-of-the mill cookbook. This epicure’s delight is the concoction of American missionary expatriates; itinerant staff of Woodstock School, whose contributions spread close to a century. If you stir up any of these recipes, full of fish, fowl and flesh, your home will come alive to the distinct aroma and flavours of this ‘little America’ in the hills.
land of pine, oak, deodar and rhododendron, with its winding paths and many-hued floral trees and colourful birds, landour at 7,500 feet, became a summer retreat for the British soon after it shaped up as a convalescent depot for British troops in the eighteen twenties. Also, the American missionaries had a strong presence in landour soon after it came into existence. In the 1930s, the landour Community Centre, now part of Woodstock School, was a beehive of activity as it was here that the Prebyterians caught up with the Mennonites. It was here that the latest juicy gossip was exchanged. And it was during these days that the ‘landour Community Cookbook’, an important reminder of landour’s American connection, was first brought out.
Renowned author Ruskin Bond, together with his old friend and neighbour Ganesh Saili, an eminent writer, edited and introduced an edition of this fascinating classic cookbook a few years ago. Both admit that though the recipes have a distinctly American flavour, there is an intermingling of European, American and Indian flavours which created a unique Anglo-Indian aroma which spread over the hills.
landour was the headquarters of the American missionary community for more than a hundred years(It was like a “little America “in the Himalayas). After they all departed, around the 1960s, the tradition of exotic cooking continued on the hillside and even today, many of these recipes are religiously followed in landour’s homes as well as bakeries .
landour’s bakers, specially the Muslim ones, have been well-known for fudge, stick jaw, marzipan and meringues which some of us remember from our childhood. Maula Baksh was the most well-known of them all. These recipes have been passed on and can still be found at various shops in landour and Mussoorie. "Burnt Caramel Cake", "Walnut Cake", "Brown Sponge" and "Coffee Cake" are also among these .
The range of the landour Cookbook covers puddings, salads, infallible cakes, roasts and every food variation in between. The landour Cookbook is a welcome walk through the kitchens of Mrs HE Wylie, E l Moody, Mr E C lochlin and many others with apt quotations and a delicious whiff of nostalgia.
landour’s famous Prakash ‘s Store, known far and wide for its peanut butter, chutneys and jams, is a living testimony to the amazing power of this cookbook. The taste of their special blackberry jam, cucumber relish and peanut butter never fails to entice both the locals as well as visitors to landour who keep coming back for a bagful of Prakash’s goodies.
Anil Prakash says that the blackberry, gooseberry, apricot and plum jams , the tangy pickle relish and the soft peanut butter made according to the cookbook recipes are extremely popular both with locals as well as tourists from the world over.
The hundred year old store, named A Prakash and Co , was set up by Anil Prakash’s grandfather, Shobha Ram and keeps people in Mussoorie, landour and Dehra Dun well-stocked with cheddar cheese, fresh fruit jams, chutneys and peanut butter. This quaint little shop has the distinction of being the first in India where the American Classic-peanut butter — was made commercially available. For all those with a sweet tooth Saili came up with “Icing on the landour cake: Olde Worlde Cake Recipes”.
These recipes play an important role in keeping the few landour residents bonded as they always invite each other to savour the goodies made from the Cookbook. landour is celebrity territory where Ruskin, Saili, Tom Alter, Stephen Alter, Victor Banerjee and Prannoy Roy have their homes within walking distance of each other. The missions may have departed decades ago but the old traditions of landour, including those set by the classic cookbook, are being carried on by these residents who love landour not only for what it is today but also for what it was long ago. They lovingly and proudly preserve its heritage — be it old maps, old postcards, photographs, early guides, newspapers or the exotic recipes of yore.
