With characteristic candour Floyd admits that before accepting the commission he knew nothing about India, and told "them" so. No problem, "they" reply: rather like Hearst providing the war, they will supply the information; all he has to do is "pop on a plane and get cooking". So the two and a half months that the Floyd caravanserai spent traipsing about the subcontinent, from the deserts of Rajasthan in the north to the tropical lushness of Kerala at the southern tip, were full of the excitement of discovery, recorded here in the very lively "Letter from India" (complete with advice on hotels and imprecations against errant airlines) that opens Floyd's India.

The recipes that Floyd picked up on his travels are arranged thematically: spice masalas, the foundation of Indian cooking, rice, thali (the Indian equivalent of tapas, it seems), meat, fish, tandoori and so forth. Some are familiar--Rogan Josh and Lamb Dhansak, for example--others less so. All are good. Everything about this book is vivid, from the food to Floyd's inimitable and ebullient if occasionally world-weary manner. --Robin Davidson

Synopsis
This title accompanies the eight-part television series for Channel 5 of the same name. In the series, Keith Floyd turns his attention to the remarkable continent of India. The greatness of India's cuisine lies in its regional foods and regional menus - Floyd travels throughout the country, comparing and contrasting the different food styles. The book depicts Floyd's journey from the green hill stations in the north of the country, through the bustling markets of Delhi, Calcutta and Madras, to the lush rice fields of the south. He cools off in the sparkling waters of the Indian Ocean and takes tiffin with sari-clad memsahibs. He uses the local specialities - the spices, mustard greens, dals, ghee, lotus seeds, almonds, and paneer - to create pasandas, kormas, koftas, bhajiyas, and all manner of spicy curries. Throughout his travels, Floyd meets the local people, shops in local markets and cooks according to local customs.