Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books podcast, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan speaks to the award-winning food writer Shahnaz Ahsan about her new book, The Jackfruit Chronicles: Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen (Harper Collins, July 2025).
Part memoir, part cookbook, The Jackfruit Chronicles is a deeply personal exploration of food, family and identity. Through stories and recipes, Shahnaz documents the vibrant flavours and captivating stories of Bengali food and its place in Britain. Beginning with the arrival of her grandfather in Manchester in the 1950s, the book traces not only one family’s journey, but also the wider story of the Bangladeshi diaspora’s search for home and belonging.
This episode is now available on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Episode notes:
The Jackfruit Chronicles: Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen by Shahnaz Ahsan (Harper Collins, July 2025)
Hashim & Family (John Murray Press, April 2020)
Scribbles and Dribbles: Notes from a mother trying to write, cook and text everyone back - Shahnaz Ahsan / Substack
‘Stories of 71’: On Researching the Liberation Movement in the North West of England by Tasleem Shakur and Shabnam Ahsan
Ways of eating: A mini-series on food in Southasia (Himal Southasian February 2022)
From pleasure to protest: On how food helps us connect, exhibit power and protest - Vidya Balachander (Himal Southasian, December 2020)
Who doesn’t put ghee in their khichuri? On food and representation, online and offline - Debolina Dey (Himal Southasian, September 2020)
Afghan refugees’ stories of food and home - Taran N Khan (Himal Southasian, August 2024)
Britain’s Banglatown: How the Bangladeshi community has come to shape local politics in Tower Hamlets - Ashraf Hoque (Himal Southasian, December 2014)
The historic struggle of Bengali migrants in London - Ashraf Hoque (Himal Southasian, August 2023)
The spectre of racialisation that haunts brown Britain - Rahul Rao (Himal Southasian, July 2024)
Eat, drink, write: A food writer dishes on the ins and outs of her profession - Suman Bolar (Himal Southasian, April 2013)
✨Thank you for listening to the Southasia Review of Books Podcast from Himal Southasian. If you like this episode, please share widely, rate, review, subscribe and download the show on your favourite podcast apps.
✉️Let’s keep the conversation going – please share your thoughts on the episode. Leave us a comment on Youtube or write to us at editorial@himalmag.com.
🎙️Tune in to Himal’s State of Southasia podcast hosted by associate editor Nayantara Narayanan, featuring conversations on pressing social and political issues from across Southasia.
📼The Himal Southasian YouTube channel now has 2000+ subscribers! If you haven’t already, do subscribe and help us spread the word by sharing these episodes widely.
🙏🏼If you’d like to support our work, please do become paying Himal Patron – we have a great programme with lots of perks, and we’ll welcome you to a fantastic Southasia Review of Books community.