A proper Indian 'Foodocopoeia' needed
The Indian culinary scene still suffers from that same colonial hangover when it comes to codification, with the curricula in desi catering and cooking colleges continuing to teach primarily European precepts, mainly French. Considering India regained independence 77 years ago, and our cuisines have become popular worldwide especially in the past 30 years, it is mystifying why the basic principles of our many cooking styles are not better known or widely taught yet.
The first reason that comes to mind is inertia. A famous Indian chef recently commented how Indians tend to just replicate a successful idea millions of times to make 'easy' money instead of innovating. Although the redoubtable Thangam E Philip of Dadar Catering College wrote her magnum opus Modern Cookery for Teaching and the Trade in 1965 and was awarded a Padma Shri in 1976 for services to the hospitality industry, not much has happened since then.
Updated versions of Philip's two volumes are standard texts for catering colleges in India even today, but in the past 60 years there should have been far more work done, especially by our hospitality brands, not to mention academia, to formalise the precepts of at least the most widely served Indian cuisines, as the totality of our food heritage is far too diverse for any single compendium. Only then can our future Indian chefs have the knowledge base to innovate and experiment.
A second major reason could be the fact that learning 'foreign' rules of cookery still seem more elite and promises entrees
