Anna Som

Cookastory is excited to present the “Foodie of the Month,” Anna Som. Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Anna works for the Government Emergency Services in New South Wales, Australia. Work keeps her busy through the week but when she’s not out there saving people’s lives, she’s at home cooking up a storm inside her kitchen with her foodie husband, daughter and her paw baby. Of course Anna loves to cook, loves to eat, loves to feed and loves to share her food with friends who are family. She traces her love for the ladle to her parents, especially her father who enjoyed hosting parties where needless to say, food was a major attraction. She is settled in a foreign land where she misses her food, (read Bengali food) and she satisfies her food cravings by recreating her childhood dishes in her NSW home kitchen. Despite the kebabs, biryanis, koftas, her heart is with the fish-head dal, a delicious Bengali lentil soup with fried pieces of, yes you read it right, the fish-head! Such is her love for this delicacy that Peter, owner of a fish shop, calls her up whenever he gets a good catch of the King Fish, keeping the head especially for Anna. And he too enjoys this special dish, never failing to remind her how much he loves it! Anna is a globetrotter, travelling the world and savouring every aroma and flavour, and often recreating some of it at home. Her parties are a rage, not just because of the delectable spread on the table but also because of her charm and warmth in character. Anna cooks not just to satiate her food nostalgia, recreating her Kolkata childhood in her NSW home but also because she simply loves her culinary escapades which helps her relax and seek happiness through her own tastebuds. So here’s Anna Som, a culinary enthusiast and her fish-head dal, simmering in nostalgia. Nom Nom!