Ksemakutuhalam is a curious 16th century work on Ayurvedic dietetics. Written in Sanskrit by Ksemasarma, a royal physician of repute, the work discusses at length about traditional Indian cuisine and its benefits. Spanning across 12 chapters, fancifully named Utsaves, Ksemakutuhalam is capable of evoking the admiration of scholars as well as laymen by the breadth of topics covered and the attention paid to details.
Each foodstuff is dealt at length. The usual mode of presentation is to first describe all culinary varieties that can be prepared from a specific eatable and then enumerate its Ayurvedic properties and health benefits. Some of these foodstuffs have a history of several thousand years while others are comparatively new. The author is also a poet of some merit and never misses an opportunity to add a touch of poetry once a while to his already tasty recipes. There is no doubt that this work will be a feast to the readers.
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