Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni "Mistress of Spices"

 

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

This is a novel about magic, mystery and love. The story begins in a small village somewhere in India near the coast of the Indian Ocean and continues in Oakland, California in the United States. Tilo, the heroine of this story, has magical powers and she uses spices to help people who are in trouble. She believes that spices contain powerful magic and she uses them to help people who are lonely, sick, unhappy, or want to find love. Spices are substances made from plants and they are added to food to give it a particular flavor. They are also used as medicines. The food of South and South-East Asia is famous for its many different strong flavors which are created by spices. The most powerful and strongest spices come from plants that are grown in these countries. Spices have been bought and sold throughout the world for thousands of years. When they think of spices, people imagine the heat and strong sunlight of those countries, and the bright, exotic colors of the plants, flowers and people’s clothes.

Both Indian and English names for the spices are used in this story: til (sesame); adrak (ginger root); haldi (turmeric); kalo jire (black cumin); dalchini (cinnamon); king (asafetida); methi (fenugreek); kanwal (lotus root); makaradwaj (King of Spices); badam (almond); kesar (saffron); soonf (fennel); manjistha (Indian madder); kalo marich (black peppercorn); kantak (thonvherb); lanka (red chillies).

 

 

  

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