Bhumi Pednekar: Food is an expression of our cultural identity

A self-professed foodie, Bhumi Pednekar confesses that she loves eating but is not much of a cook herself

A self professed foodie, actor Bhumi Pednekar confesses to us how she loves eating but is not much of a cook herself. “I don’t cook often. It’s only in the lockdown that I tried my hands on trying some new recipes.”

Born and raised in Mumbai, she is quick to tell us her favourite dishes, “I am a Bombay girl and I love Bombay’s street foods, especially Pav-bhaji.” The actor who had gained 12 kgs for her debut film ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’ only to lose it for ‘Toilet: Ek Prem Katha’, adds, “I am not into fancy world cuisine except pasta. I love pasta. But given a choice, I would recommend hygienic street food like Pav bhaji any day of the year. I feel like Indian street food is the best.”

Food is a big part of growing up. It is something that shapes us, our identities, and our cultures and in the end, our society. Charting her journey with food, she says, “Food creates a connection between our beliefs, our ethnicity, our individual cultures and our cultural heritage. Traditional cuisine is passed down from one generation to the next. It also operates as an expression of cultural identity. My food choices have greatly been influenced by my Maharashtrian and North Indian roots.”

Being a conscious consumer and an environmentalist, her learning began as a kid, “One of the biggest life lessons that I have learnt in the kitchen is cleanliness. My mom encouraged hygiene in the kitchen, especially washing our hands. Growing up, I saw my mom not wasting anything in the kitchen and the household, thus sowing the seeds for me becoming a planet conscious person.”

Her recent stint at Gobble You Got Chef’d S3 with Chef Ranveer Brar has made her more inclined towards cooking, “It was a lot of fun learning how to hold the knife, how to roll the pasta from the chef. It was very educational.”

“It was a virtual episode, and he was not with me technically but he did a fabulous job, and it seems that he was quite happy with what I’d done,” the 31-year-old laughs. “This is the first time I actually cooked and I feel this is a hidden talent which I innately had,” she quips.