Ari Gautier

Bharathiraja, the Monet of Tamil cinema

June 12,2026 17:35:06 PM

His sugarcane fields are not backdrops. His whitewashed walls, crossed by that thick afternoon light that only the South knows, are not props. They are the story

Négrodalitalité, la NegrodalitalitySubscriber Only

January 23,2022 04:20:08 AM

🔴 Growing up in Pondicherry, a newly independent colonial city where the traces of colonialism are still present, one is easily exposed to structural racism and casteism at an early age.

The journey of the Thoothukudi Macaron: From Italian nunneries to the Coromandel coastSubscriber Only

June 18,2021 16:42:02 PM

The final Kucini Tale tells the story of the creolised macaron uniting the Coromandel and Canara coasts, Portuguese and Muslim traders, Arabs and Jesuits, Italy and France, and, finally, our elusive lovers.

Heart of the matter: The Armenian and Pondicherry connections with Potoler DolmaSubscriber Only

April 24,2021 18:47:39 PM

Potoler dolma may have started as an Armenian innovation but other Calcutta communities adopted it. Muslim cooks moving between Armenian, Anglo-Indian, Jewish and elite Muslim kitchens would have spread the technique.

Steamy business: An African spirit in Fort Kochi saves the puttu from crumblingSubscriber Only

March 27,2021 15:20:51 PM

The technique of steaming rice flour shapes (idlis, puttu) arrived on India’s coastlines from East Asia, especially China, and was adapted to India’s non-sticky rice flours. As per local beliefs, puttu is offered to African slaves' spirits in Fort Kochi somewhat like a 'prasad'.

Same, but different: The many avatars of kousid, bafad, and salmiSubscriber Only

March 05,2021 16:35:27 PM

In the second part of Kucini Tales, we look at how some creole dishes across India have the same name but different ingredients.

Kucini Tales I – Vinegar: The secret ingredient of creole connectionsSubscriber Only

February 19,2021 21:06:23 PM

Kucini Tales is a five-part flash fiction series, based on research on creolised food histories of India. The first story focuses on Vinegar which unites Indic creolised cuisines, be it Goan, Pondicherrian, Anglo-Indian, or even Calcutta Chinese.