New Delhi, April 2 -- "Everyone knows of Kargil, and yet no one knows anything about Kargil," says food researcher Yash Saxena. This sentiment sets the tone for his book, Stories from a Kargili Kitchen, a compilation of essays and recipes told through the lives of people settled in the remote trans-Himalayan region.

Saxena uses food as a lens to build a series of narratives to examine the history and politics of a land deeply influenced by weather, migration and ancient trade. In doing so, he documents a culinary culture that is both diverse and distinct, and rarely discussed in mainstream food media.

The 31-year-old author, who was born across the boundary of the Kargil district in Baltal, in Jammu & Kashmir, says he "was protected by ...