New Delhi, March 6 -- The Dawoodi Bohras are a community of traders, travellers and keepers of tradition. They trace their lineage back to Yemen and the Fatimid Caliphate (Egypt). The Shia Muslim community arrived in Gujarat centuries ago, settling along India's western coast, and from there dispersed across the globe, carrying with them their faith, language, and most importantly, their cuisine.

Growing up Bohri, I learned early that our relationship with food is anything but ordinary. While the world begins meals with appetisers and ends with dessert, we start sweet, move to savoury, and dance between the two throughout.

The centerpiece of this journey is the thaal, a large communal platter around which eight or nine people sit-a prac...