Shahnaz Ahsan on food, identity and the Bangladeshi diaspora: Southasia Review of Books podcast #33

In her new book ‘The Jackfruit Chronicles’, the award-winning food writer Shahnaz Ahsan invites us into her family’s British-Bangladeshi kitchen, showing how food carries both resistance and remembrance, and reflects the complexities of diasporic life in Britain: https://www.himalmag.com/podcast/shahnaz-ahsan-food-bangladesh-diaspora Welcome to the Southasia Review of Books podcast, where we speak to celebrated authors and emerging literary voices from across Southasia. In this episode, Shwetha Srikanthan speaks to the award-winning food writer Shahnaz Ahsan about her new book, The Jackfruit Chronicles: Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen (Harper Collins, July 2025). Part memoir, part cookbook, The Jackfruit Chronicles is a deeply personal exploration of food, family and identity. Through stories and recipes, Shahnaz documents the vibrant flavours and captivating stories of Bengali food and its place in Britain. Beginning with the arrival of her grandfather in Manchester in the 1950s, the book traces not only one family’s journey, but also the wider story of the Bangladeshi diaspora’s search for home and belonging. This episode is now available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/GnWLGrFyB3A Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0SwZazJ5odQSPuQrTrY9vd Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/4n8PQvk Let’s keep the conversation going – please share your thoughts on the episode. Leave us a comment here on Youtube or send me an email (shwethas[at]himalmag[dot]com). To make conversations like this possible, we need the support of our listeners like you. Become a paying Himal Patron to support the Southasia Review of Books: https://www.himalmag.com/support-himal Sign up to receive the Southasia Review of Books newsletter for Himal’s spotlight on Southasian literature, our latest conversations, and more: https://bit.ly/southasia-review-of-books