Food Talk: Our very own finger

Fingers have an intimate relationship with food. Finger-licking goodness is the gold standard of a recipe. For us in India, where fingers are preferred over cutlery, the phrase is even more resonant. Anguliyaan chaat te reh jayenge! is the boastful promise a chef or a host makes introducing a dish especially prepared for the guest. Bhindi is a common vegetable in Hindustan but where it is considered a delicacy, it’s lovingly referred to as ‘Ladies Fingers’. The non-vegetarians drool over ‘fish fingers’ that are culled out of boneless fillets and fried dipped in batter. In days gone by, in Lucknow, the city of nawabs, slim cucumbers were sold by hawkers doing the round of streets attracting would-be customers with the poetic call — ‘Le lo! Le lo! Majnu ki pasliyaan hain, Laila ki anguliyaan