Writing
Charmaine is the author several books on food history and culture.
- Flavours of Melbourne: a culinary biography (Wakefield Press, 2008)
- Recipes from an Urban Village: A cookbook from Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti (The Hope Project Charitable Trust, 2003)
- Flavours of Delhi : A Food Lovers Guide (Penguin Books, India , 2003)
- World Food Guide: New Orleans (Lonely Planet Publications, 2000)
Current projects
In 2009 I was commissioned by Penguin India to write the Penguin Food Guide to India. I am very proud of this achievement as it recognizes my knowledge of Indian food and food history, and provides me with the opportunity to expand it further (it also allows me to wear the same imprimatur as many of my favourite authors). I believe my interest and study of Indian food will be a lifetime one.
In 2009 I also received an Australia Council Literature Grant to support my work on researching and writing a cultural history of Australian cookbooks. This is a fascinating and very exciting project, not the least because it has allowed me to me to indulge of my strong interest in Victoriana and Victorian era food.
I am a contributor to the Melbourne Cheap Eats guide and write various articles on food which occasionally get published in such esteemed publications as the Age Epicure.
I also have two blogs:
www.eatingindia.net for stories about food in India and recipes
www.lovefoodwrite.net for general food stories, recipes and other valuable information on writing about food