Welcome to The Food Travellers
Hello, and thank you for stopping by. I'm Gayatri Iyer, the person behind The Food Travellers. This little corner of the internet is where I document everything I love about food. I share the recipes I cook at home, the flavours I've picked up from my travels, and the global vegetarian dishes that have found a place in my kitchen.
My Story
I was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra. I grew up surrounded by an incredible mix of food cultures. Only a city like Mumbai can offer that kind of variety. My childhood had it all. There was street food at Chowpatty along with South Indian tiffin rooms in Matunga. There were Gujarati thalis and Parsi bakeries too.
I was that kid who got excited about mealtimes and always wanted to know what was cooking and why. I would happily eat the same dish prepared differently by three different aunts. That was my quiet way of understanding the variations.
Today I live in Bangalore, Karnataka. It has turned out to be the perfect next chapter. Bangalore's food scene pulls from every corner of India and the world. It has given me the chance to explore cuisines I never grew up with.
Mangalorean, Coorgi, Andhra, Chettinad and many more are all within a
short drive of home.
You can follow me on Facebook and Instagram
Why This Blog Exists
The Food Travellers was born out of my love for road trips. Over the years, my husband and I have driven across large parts of India. Somewhere along the way, I realised something important. The best memories from every trip were almost always the meals.
A simple plate of poha at a roadside dhaba in Madhya Pradesh. A thali in a tiny family-run restaurant in Rajasthan. The filter coffee at a Udupi-style place somewhere between Bangalore and Mangalore. Each of these had a story. I started wanting to capture them before they faded.
That is really what this blog is. It is my way of holding onto the food memories I collect. And it is my way of sharing them with anyone who loves regional Indian cooking as much as I do.
What You'll Find Here
The heart of the blog is Indian regional cuisine. I write about recipes from North, South, East, West, and Northeast India try to stay true to how each dish is actually made in its home region. I avoid the generic "Indian food" version. Alongside that, you'll find street food, festival recipes, and beverages. You'll also find the occasional deep dive into an ingredient or a cooking technique I find interesting.
I also write about global cuisines, but with one important note. Everything on this blog is strictly vegetarian. That's a personal choice, and it shapes how I approach every recipe. Some classic international dishes traditionally contain meat. In those cases, I share the vegetarian version I've made work in my own kitchen. I don't pretend otherwise.
A Note on How I Write
Every recipe on this blog has been cooked in my own kitchen first. I test, tweak, sometimes fail, and try again until it feels right. Some recipes come with a story. It might be a memory from a trip, a trick I learned from family, or a mistake I made the first time. I'll always tell you about it. That's the part that makes cooking at home feel connected to something larger than just feeding yourself.
If you ever want to share your own version of a recipe, please visit my Contact page. You can ask a question or just say hello. I read every message. Food, in my experience, is always better when it's shared.
Warm regards, Gayatri Iyer Editor, The Food Travellers