Flavours of Identity: A Comparative Study of Indian and Western Culinary Narrative in Women's Literature

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”(Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own, The Hogarth Press,1935, Page- 28). This quote implies the significance of Food over anything and everything in our lives. Food not only nourishes the physical self but also the inner self. The connection between food and emotions has been evident through the various experiences that one portrays through literature. Culinary narrative literature bridges the gap between soul and food and goes beyond the horizon of recipes. This research paper aims to explore the impact of culinary narrative on the characters in the novels: Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey and Comfort me with Apples by Ruth Reichl. It analyzes the differentiation and integration of cultural values, Identity and flavors in food.