...my book can you introduce you to the smells and tastes which I grew up with as a child in Delhi and which I have struggled over over the years to recreate in my American kitchen... Madhur Jaffrey, from the introduction

{HISTORY}

Long before Madhur Jaffrey became a culinary icon she was a wife and a mom and an actress living in New York City. A lusty sense of nostalgia and desire to share some of her heritage foods with her American friends led Madhur to communicate with her mom via letters about the recipes she missed most from her homeland of India. That 15-year communication via mail with her mom led to this cookbook, Madhur's first, An Invitation to Indian Cooking published in 1973. 

Offered as a way to steer people away from the generic, not very good Indian restaurants of the 1970s, Madhur wanted to encourage American home cooks to try making authentic Indian cuisine at home - the only surefire that way that one would get the chance to experience real Indian cooking short of traveling to the country itself. 

Madhur filled this cookbook with an array of aromatic foods - ranging from meat, poultry and fish to vegetable and rice dishes. When she couldn't find a traditional Indian ingredient at an American supermarket or specialty store, she adapted the recipe to make it a successful, accessible cooking experience for all involved. 

If you are unfamiliar with Madhur's cooking, the best thing about it is her plentiful use of fresh, aromatic ingredients. Garlic, hot peppers, lemon, ginger and a pantry full of spices are mainstays for most recipes elevating what might seem like simple food to new levels of culinary delight. 

This is the 1973 first edition. It lacks the dust jacket but does feature decorated coverboards and endpapers. In addition to writing the cookbook, Madhur also illustrated it. 

Needless to say, Madhur's cooking career took off from this book forward. Now the author of over 30 cookbooks, she has received many awards for her culinary talents over the past five decades. An Invitation to Indian Cooking was inducted into the James Beard Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- Stated first Edition, published in 1973 by Alfred A. Knoph

- 285 pages not including index

- In addition to the recipes, there is also a detailed glossary of Indian cooking terms and phrases 

- Illustrated throughout with black and white line drawings by Madhur

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition. The interior and exterior are clean and bright with the exception of two small cooking spots on the foredge. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 9.25" inches (length) x 6.75" inches (width) x 1" inch (thickness) and weighs 1.11 lbs