Book excerpt: Heirloom Iyengar Recipes contains recipes of popular Iyengar community dishes. The recipes are in several sections named as groups. The first group is termed “Favourite Dishes” and although the items in this section were adopted by the Iyengar community a few hundred years ago, they were not part of the traditionally original recipes that have been in vogue for more than a thousand years. The second group consists of “Jams, Halwas and Murabbas” that can be preserved for months. The third group “Vadas, Papads and Sandige” consists of items processed and dried, with several months of shelf life. The fourth group “Pickles and Pudis” are items that can be stored for a long time. Pickles are usually made from sour raw fruits and vegetables consumed even months after their yielding season. Pudis are masala powders consumed with rice/dosas/idlis etc. Group five consists of varieties of “Dosas and Idlis” popularly served for breakfast. Group six has different varieties of fried rice. Being relatively dry, they are suitable for carrying as lunch/dinner. Group seven (final section) includes snacks specific to the community. All in all, although the book is not exhaustive, it covers many of the items traditionally exclusive to the community.