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Why Do We Eat More When There Are More Choices?

Posted by Neerja Bhatnagar on October 06, 2026

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FOOD ITEMS FROM "Q"

"Q" is an alphabet, not many food items start with. I would like to recorrect this - not many Indian food items start from "Q". Anyway, now, as they say, the world is shrinking (literally and metaphorically too), so let us take food items from Q, irrespective of their origins. Before listing the other food items, I will share what comes to my mind with Q - this one is everybody's favourite - Quaker's oats. Quaker is a popular brand that produces many healthy(?) breakfast options. The other is Quesadilla is a Mexican Pic Wikipedia dish made with a tortilla filled with cheese and other fillings. There is a post in my blog about it. Please do check here . It has an Indian cousin invented by Indian mothers made with the available leftover roti and sabzi. :) Even Quinoa (pronounced as k iː n . w ɑ) is something we have recently introduced to. When I read about it and searched online, I found it very expensive. But to my Pic : Wikipedia surprise, I went to...

Why Does Milk Curdle? The Science Behind Paneer & Curd

AI Image Why Does Milk Curdle? The Science Behind Paneer, Curd and That Ruined Cup of Tea Have you ever poured milk into a hot cup of tea, only to watch it suddenly separate into tiny white lumps? Or added lemon juice to hot milk and watched it transform into curds and whey? The first reaction is usually: "Oh no! The milk has curdled." But here's the fascinating part: curdling isn't always a bad thing. In fact, some of India's most loved foods—including paneer and chhena—depend on this very process. So what actually happens when milk curdles? Why does lemon juice make paneer? Why does milk sometimes split in tea or tomato-based gravies? And how can we prevent unwanted curdling? Let's look at the food science behind this everyday kitchen mystery. What Is Milk Made Of? Milk may look simple, but chemically it is a remarkably complex food. It contains: Water Milk fat Lactose, the natural milk sugar Minerals Whey proteins Casein proteins Casein is particularly...

Why Does Rice Become Sticky? The Science Behind Rice Texture

AI Image Why Does Rice Become Sticky? The Science Behind Rice Texture You put rice on the stove expecting separate, fluffy grains. Instead, you open the lid and find them clinging together in a soft, sticky mass. Why does this happen? Is it too much water? The type of rice? Overcooking? Washing—or not washing—the rice properly? The answer lies mainly in starch , but starch doesn't work alone. The variety of rice, amount of water, temperature, cooking time and cooking method all influence the final texture. And this is particularly interesting in Indian kitchens, where the same family may use aromatic Basmati for biryani, Sona Masuri for everyday meals and Sella rice for certain biryanis. So let's look at what is really happening inside those little grains. The Main Reason Rice Becomes Sticky: Starch Rice contains starch, and starch is primarily made up of two types of molecules: Amylose and amylopectin. Their proportions have a major influence on the texture of cooked rice. Amy...

Why Does Food Taste Better When Someone Else Cooks It? | Food Science

Have you ever noticed that? You can cook the same dal, using the same lentils, the same spices and almost the same amount of oil. Yet somehow, when your mother, friend or anyone else makes it, it tastes different. Perhaps even better. And it isn't necessarily because she has a secret ingredient hidden somewhere in the kitchen. Sometimes, food really does seem to taste better when someone else cooks it. But why? Is it the food? Is it the cook? Or is our brain playing a little trick on us? As it turns out, the answer lies somewhere between food science, our senses, memory and psychology. AI image We Don't Taste Food With Our Tongue Alone We often think taste happens on the tongue. Sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami are detected by our taste receptors. But what we experience as "flavour" is much more complicated. Our brain combines information from: Taste, Smell, Texture, Temperature, Appearance, Sound, and expectations....

BRICS 2026: What Did the World Leaders Eat in Delhi?

AI Image When world leaders meet, we usually talk about diplomacy, trade, geopolitics and agreements. But there is another kind of diplomacy that happens quietly—around the dining table. At the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi , held on September 12–13, 2026, India did not just welcome international leaders and delegates with meetings and ceremonies. It also introduced them to something that comes very naturally to us Indians: food as a celebration of culture . And what a spread it was! From Kashmiri walnuts and Lucknowi galouti kebabs to ragi dosa, bajra upma, Hyderabadi biryani, paneer lababdar and shahtoot phirni, the menus created for the BRICS guests attempted to tell the story of India through its food. Food as culinary diplomacy India is not a country with one cuisine. Our food changes every few hundred kilometres—sometimes even every few streets. The spices, grains, cooking techniques and ingredients tell stories of geography, climate, history and communit...

From Farm to Plate: The Invisible Labour Behind Every Meal We Eat

AI image Every plate of food carries a story — of effort, struggle, hope, and countless unseen hands. Have You Ever Wondered How Food Reaches Your Plate? Yesterday morning, while eating my usual bowl of oats with nuts and seeds, a simple thought crossed my mind: How did this food actually reach my table? We often talk about recipes, flavours, restaurants, and healthy eating. But very rarely do we pause to think about the long journey our food takes before becoming a meal on our plate. Behind every roti, every cup of tea, every bowl of dal, there exists an invisible network of farmers, labourers, transporters, vendors, and homemakers whose efforts quietly keep India fed. And honestly, once you begin noticing this journey, food starts feeling very different. It All Begins in the Fields A few years ago, during a visit to a village, I met an elderly farmer standing quietly in his wheat field early in the morning. His hands were rough from years of labour, but ...