What is ‘diaspora cuisine’? Chef Aarthi Sampath is cooking up the answer in New York
Chef Aarthi Sampath’s New York restaurant, Dravida, explores the concept of 'diaspora cuisine' by blending South Asian heritage with global influences. The menu reflects the history of migration and the adaptation of traditional recipes in new environments.
Why it matters
It illustrates how food serves as a medium for preserving cultural identity and narrating the history of the South Asian diaspora.
Only in New York can you walk into a restaurant and order a Maine lobster cooked with Indo-Chinese ‘Schezwan’ sauce. Or ‘Maggi’ noodles with blue crab. The diverse landscape of the city is the backdrop of chef Aarthi Sampath’s East Village restaurant, Dravida, that tells the story of South Asian cuisine, and its many iterations across the world.
It is a divided world, and borders are hot button issues. But long before today, the South Asian diaspora was already on the move, carrying its memories, its spice boxes, and its history across oceans. These stories of migration find a place on the menu of Dravida.
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