Thousands of objects and collectibles spread over a few hundred years from kitchens across regions and cultures. That’s what you will find at Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna’s latest brainchild, Museum of Kitchen Arts, in Manipal, Karnataka. The Amritsar-born, New York-based chef, who is also the curator of the project, has travelled the length and breadth of India for 10 years to build up the repository which is housed inside a giant pot-shaped building. 
t2oS chats with the Twist of Taste chef.

What are some of the artefacts at the Museum of Kitchen Arts that have piqued your curiosity?

I have one of the oldest Indian-Jewish Seder plates, unique churners and measuring and weighing tools that fascinate me. At the museum we have plenty of stuff across categories — samovars, cups and saucers, graters, knives, whiskers, spice grinders, rolling pins, tawas, stoves, chulhahs, fishing tools….

How big is the collection?

It already boasts of hundreds of objects, such as the plates made by the Portuguese who had come to India, vessels from the Konkan, Udupi and Chettinad regions… an old sprinkler…. We will be rotating the display all the time.

How relevant are the artefacts?

I believe that the artefacts in the museum are still relevant and can be used in today’s scenario. We can take the example of an oil extractor that has been procured from one of the royal families in Rajasthan. The best part about the extractor is that it is made of neem wood, which prevents infection. 

What are some of the culinary items you saw as a boy in Amritsar?

First would be a 100-year-old ladle, which was used outside temples to serve food to 30 people at once. The other would be a travelling kitchen set. This set could accommodate 36 kitchen items and that too with a specific measurement. 

 

Have you been collecting culinary items while living in New York?

I have been collecting bartans all my life. But we got very focused in the last 15 years. My New York apartment was literally overflowing with them. There were so many rolling pins, utensils of all shapes and sizes, tea strainers of different types — people didn’t even know what some of these were used for. Vessels from Kashmir, Jammu, Pune, Hyderabad and Kochi....

What are some of the vintage utensils you have collected over the years?

Ice cream churner, mortar and pestle, bowls....

If you were to have a small museum at home, what would you have in it?

I would want to have a samovar of my own. 

What are some of the cuisines and recipes that are fading?

There are some recipes from Potohar, Lahore, Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Amritsar. Things like Kadai Paneer, Lahori Seekh and Aloo Wadiyan. 

What’s your most memorable food item from Bengal?

As a kid, I remember having Posto-r Mangsho. That used to be my favourite delicacy.

Museum of Kitchen Arts is at Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, which is a part of Manipal Academy of Higher Education. To find out more about the collection curated by chef Vikas Khanna at the museum, read his new book— Patra: Heritage of the Indian Kitchen