In a Lucknow famous for its art, craft, and way of living, food was the single element that united the prince and peasant alike. This book provides a peek into the resplendent Lucknow of yore. Into the kitchens where food and art became synonymous, where simple rice dishes were fashioned to look like glowing pearls, and where some of the world’s most famous dum and tandoor recipes were invented. A world defined by grace, beauty, and a heightened culinary aesthetic — where every meal required a perfectly appointed table, and where each ingredient was circumscribed to a particular time of day. It is nostalgia for this sensual city of the past that defines Adil I. Ahmad’s life and work, and is palpable in the pages of Tehzeeb.