This handsome tribute to Mumbai—formerly Bombay—captures the vibrancy of India’s coastal metropolis through striking photography and insightful essays by local writers. Rather than focusing on scale or skyline, the large-format volume (9⅜” x 11⅜”, 366 pages) feels surprisingly intimate, centering on the city’s people, neighborhoods, and richly layered food culture. Some essays trace Mumbai’s evolution as a trading hub shaped by waves of migration; others delve into specific festivals, street foods, and communities. While not primarily a cookbook, the book includes recipes that highlight the diversity of the city's culinary influences: an okra dish from Sindhi migrants displaced by Partition, a spiced rice from Maharashtra brightened with lime and coconut, and a slow-cooked meat and lentil stew from the Parsi community, whose ancestors arrived from Persia in the 7th century. Mumbai is the first in a projected series celebrating Indian cities, with future volumes on Lucknow and Kolkata in the works. Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.
