Food memories and diaspora of culinary traditions: echoes from voices of displacement in the rural scape of Dholavira, India

Abstract

This article considers the food memories and diaspora of culinary traditions among the communities residing in present-day Dholavira village, Gujarat, India. Dholavira village, located near the Dholavira Harappan World Heritage site, is home to several ethnic communities. Over the last few decades, there has been a proliferation of the idea of food archaeology in the subcontinent’s culinary research, but most studies conducted so far have highlighted the regionality of culinary landscapes and are grounded in archaeometric techniques. This study moves in a new direction and applies ethnoarchaeology to explore food memories disseminated through the use of simple cooking tools and heirloom recipes. Additionally, the study documents the ceramic production techniques and associated memories of the one local potter, who is based in Janan village near Dholavira.