‘The Flavor Equation’ by Nik Sharma is all about sugar, spice and a pinch of science

The food writer-photographer marries his training as a molecular biologist with his experience as a cook

Los Angeles-based Nik Sharma effortlessly dons the hats of food writer, photographer and scientist. A captivating blend of Blumenthalian gastronomy and (Sanjeev) Kapooresque simplicity, Sharma’s food creations are based on one philosophy — flavour comes first. With his new cookbook, The Flavor Equation, he has invested in trying to understand, and helping us understand, why our grandmother’s or favourite aunt’s food tastes the way it does. What are those simple elements and ingredients that help to produce tasty food every single time? Excerpts from an interview: Flavour is something we all experience through our own lens but what makes it individualistically unique is the way our cultures and emotions tinged with our memories come into play. It affects how we perceive aromas, tastes, textures, sights, and sounds when we try a dish. Growing up in Mumbai, and then later moving to America, made these concepts much more obvious because it was an opportunity to compare and contrast the differences and similarities across these two different parts of the world.