An Ode to the Forgotten Pantries of Indian Poets

 “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” 

This famous quote by the French author, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin is a clear reflection of how a person’s diet and food habits define their physical, emotional, and mental health. The same goes true when words start flowing from a poet’s heart, carrying the warmth, memories, and emotions stirred by what is simmering in their kitchen.

Food is deeply connected to our emotions - biologically, psychologically, culturally, and even poetically. It holds an incredible power to stir feelings, comfort us, evoke memories, ground us in nostalgia, or even offer a sense of belonging. 

Take a moment to think about your favourite dish, not just how it tastes, but how it feels. If I speak about myself, considering my taste buds and memories beautifully wrapped in flavours, “Daal Makhani” becomes my entire story on a plate. Eating the dish takes me back on a journey of “masalas and memories.” It reconnects me with my people, bringing back childhood memories and wonderful moments shared with all my loved ones. At times, it even becomes a silent muse, inspiring my deepest thoughts and feelings that shape the first line of the many poems I have written until date. 

Now, let’s step into the kitchens of legendary Indian poets where their emotions, traditions, and words simmer together, blending an assortment of emotional flavours. This turns everyday meals into timeless inspiration that further finds its way into verses, ghazals, poetry, bhajans, and other creative landscapes. 

Rabindranath Tagore

His journey is not a hidden tale, rather it is etched in every word he has left behind in his poems, songs, and stories. But what many of us are not aware is his love for “Macch and Misthi” (Fish and Deserts/Sweetmeats). He was an avid food lover who was fond of mangoes, pies, patties, roasts, and kebabs. 

These culinary delights for him were powerful symbols of nostalgia, serenity, and the joy of belonging. His choice of food was all deeply tied to his sense of home and heritage. Each dish he loved evoked memories of monsoon-soaked afternoons, festive family gatherings, and the cultural richness of his hometown in Shantiniketan, West Bengal. Turn to any of Tagore’s verses, and you will feel the warmth and tenderness, echoing the celebration of life’s quiet moments - just like the sweetness of mishti. 

"Shondhay shondhay dekhchi ami, chhelebelar oi misti modhur thala
ek chhobi hoye phire ashe, ghorer modhye, ma'r kole dhora pala."
Every evening, I see a vision, the sweet plate of childhood days,
like a picture it returns, inside the home, resting in Ma’s lap.

Mirza Ghalib

He was not just a master of ghazals but also an enthusiast of rich, indulgent food. His favourite foods were bhuna gosht, shammi kebab, sheekh kebab, lentils, and the traditional sweet sohan halwa. But nothing ever matched Ghalib’s passion for mangoes. He once famously quipped, “Aamo mein bas do khoobiyaan honi chahiye - ek meethe ho aur bohot saare ho” (Mangoes need only two qualities - they should be sweet, and they should be plenty). In the journey of life this became the core principles of his life, “Sweetness” and “Abundance.”

Ghalib was a lover of quality food and poetry. His food preferences mirrored his emotional world wrapped in layer, indulgence, longing, and resistance. His verses, much like the slow-cooked dishes he adored, brimmed with complexity of love and loss, offering sorrow and sweetness in equal measure.

"Aam ke aage na kisi cheez ki talab rahi,
Na sharaab chahiye thi, na kabab chahiye the."
In front of mangoes, I desired nothing else, 
Not wine, not kebabs, nothing could tempt me.

Kalidasa

Kalidasa is a renowned Indian poet, regarded as the crown jewel of classical Sanskrit literature. His choice of foods includes simple offerings like forest, rice, milk, and honey. His meals and verses are rooted in simplicity, yet deep, graceful, and meaningful. 

As one of the greatest classical Sanskrit poets, Kalidasa often drew inspiration from his surroundings. This shaped the soul of his verses, grounding them in the grace of seasonal abundance and simplicity of nature-based food choices. Pick any of his poems or turn to any of his verses, you will always find a deep sense of spiritual balance and harmony, just like his choice of natural foods that sustained him. 

“Annam hi suddham bahusah prapitam, 
Dhatra pradattam sukrtaih prasastam.”
Pure food, often consumed with gratitude,
Is a divine gift granted by the Creator, earned through good deeds.

Nissim Ezekiel 

Nissim Ezekiel is a celebrated Indian poet, playwright, editor and art-critic. His choice of foods includes urban staples like tea, toast, onion pakoras, and simple home-cooked meals, reflecting the understated flavours of his daily life in the city of Mumbai, his birthplace. Inspired by the intricacies of life, his poems also mirrored simplicity, depth, and belonging.

Pick any of his verses and you are sure to explore themes of identity, middle-class existence, and emotional solitude, all captured through a lens of quiet observation, emotional precision, and subtle wit. He always carried a quiet hunger for deeper human meaning, love, and dignity.

“I eat in an Irani restaurant, near Churchgate. I like it very much.
I take one vegetable and a chapati. After that I take one cup of tea.”

Experiencing the Shared Language of Food and Poetry 

The list goes endless. This is because India is home to a rich tapestry of cuisines and timeless poetry, where every spice tells a story, every dish carries an emotion, and every poet finds a creative world on their plate. There are poets like Kabir, whose choice of bajra roti and jaggery echoed his unfiltered truths; Tulsidas, whose temple food inspired his devotion; Amrita Pritam, whose mentions of tea surfaced in her verses; and even Sarojni Naidu, whose love for saffron milk and bhelpuri found its way into the joy and rhythm of her penned words. Each of them, in their own ways, transformed everyday meals into metaphors of truth, love, feelings, relationship, and celebration. 

You can also relive your most cherished memories and let your emotions spill into words; all it takes is a familiar spice and flavour on your tongue. A simple bowl of rice and lentils can ground you in comfort and humility. A slice of your favourite seasonal fruit can be a gateway to childhood memories. The tangy burst of pani puri can be all about laughter, thrill, and friendship. A pot of biryani layered with spice and patience can be about celebration, love, and legacy passed down through generations.

Therefore, a satiated stomach brings forth the words. What we know as soul foods, not only light up our faces but nurtures our creative juices. For our favourite authors too, food, has made its way to their pages. That itself is a food for thought!