Pushpesh Pant (born 1946) is an Indian academic, food critic and historian. He taught international relations at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi for about four decades and at the same time became the country’s most widely read writer on Indian cuisine. His India: The Cookbook (2010), with a thousand recipes, was named by The New York Times among the best cookbooks of its year. He received the Padma Shri in 2016.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Pushpesh Pant |
| Born | 1946, Mukteshwar, Nainital district, United Provinces (now Uttarakhand), India |
| Occupation | Academic, food historian, columnist |
| Position | Former Professor of Diplomatic Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University |
| Honour | Padma Shri (2016) |
| Known for | India: The Cookbook; writing on Indian food and culture |
Early Life
Pant was born in the hill station of Mukteshwar in Kumaon, where his father was a doctor at the veterinary research institute. He was taught at home for much of his childhood, in a household where his mother’s cooking and his family’s Kumaoni Brahmin food traditions made a lasting impression. He studied history and international relations and began teaching while very young.
Career
He joined Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of International Studies, where he taught diplomacy and wrote textbooks on international relations and Indian foreign policy in both Hindi and English, widely used by students preparing for the civil services.
Alongside his teaching he wrote about food for newspapers and magazines, tracing dishes to their regional and historical roots: how the potato and chilli came to India, how royal kitchens shaped Awadhi and Hyderabadi cooking, how temple offerings and street snacks developed. India: The Cookbook, published by Phaidon, gathered recipes from every region. His other books include Gourmet Journeys in India, Buddhist Peace Recipes and Food Path: Cuisine Along the Grand Trunk Road.
He has presented and advised on travel and food programmes for Indian television and writes columns in Hindi and English on food, culture and current affairs. He is a regular at literature festivals.
Views
Pant argues that there is no single “Indian cuisine” but a great many regional ones, and that caste, religion, trade and migration explain what people eat. He has been critical of attempts to police food habits.
Selected Books
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Pushpesh Pant born?
Pushpesh Pant was born in 1946, Mukteshwar, Nainital district, United Provinces (now Uttarakhand), India.
What is Pushpesh Pant known for?
Known for: India: The Cookbook; writing on Indian food and culture.
Featured image: Pushpesh Pant at the Jaipur Literature Festival, 2025. Photo by Sriya Sarkar, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
