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Vidya Balachander

Vidya Balachander

Vidya Balachander is an Indian food and travel journalist, based in Dubai. Formerly the features editor of BBC Good Food's Indian edition, her writing has appeared in publications such as Saveur, CNN's Parts Unknown, Literary Hub, NPR's The Salt, Roads & Kingdoms, National Geographic Traveller and others.



Latest Stories

Illustration: Abhilash Baddha

January 11, 2021

How Chili Peppers Spiced Up the South Asian Palate

Whether fresh, dried, tempered, roasted, fried, powdered, stuffed, or pickled, the not-so-native fruit has become deeply enmeshed in regional cuisines.

Vidya Balachander
Street food in Mumbai, India. (Vidya Balachander)

June 24, 2020

Amid COVID, Indian Street Food Vanishes

The COVID-19 lockdown has left street food vendors wondering how they’ll reclaim their hard-won places in the heart of cities.

Vidya Balachander

March 25, 2019

Trying to Define a Cuisine Shaped by Absences

Marred by decades of civil war, Jaffna cuisine has survived, but it carries the unique burden of bygone memories.

Vidya Balachander