Mangoes!
I know it’s not mango season yet but that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming about it. I remember reading the entire novel “A case of exploding mangoes” by Mohammed Hanif, years ago with its taste stuck in my brain. I recently connected this experience to a scientific study that explored the possibility of intergenerational olfactory memory. The article states:
“If a particular smell makes you uneasy but you don’t know why, perhaps you should ask your grandparents.
Mice whose father or grandfather learned to associate the smell of cherry blossom with an electric shock became more jumpy in the presence of the same odour, and responded to lower concentrations of it than normal mice.” —More here.
This idea that the smell of fear — and I hope, the scent of pleasure — is encoded in our DNA, reminded me of one of the most unusual requests I have received from a client — to make her (adopted) daughter a “rice” perfume because steamed jasmine rice was inexplicably her favourite smell.
“Easy!" I responded. Working mainly off instincts, I formulated a “mango-sticky-rice” composition with shy hints of coconut milk. I was later informed that upon receiving and inhaling her perfume, she instantly ran down to cook herself a fresh pot of rice.
There’s a reason I love existing in this field — there are no wrong answers. My fragrant ideas are free to gently transgress boundaries, invisibly seeping into hearts (it goes where my art criticism/words cannot).
Bagh-e Hind Edible Perfume™
In 2018, as I extended my research into scent by creating unusual gourmand fragrances to wear, and to eat, I chanced upon a 17th century Mughal folio that induced mouth watering flavours on my palate. This made me think of playful ways one could connect with history beyond reading scholarly essays. I translated the folio into a perfume titled “Bagh-e Hind”, a concept I eventually expanded into a virtual multisensory exhibition together with an historian. Now, I compress this entire exhibition into a form that can be eaten.
The original perfume (2018) had mouthwatering notes of honey, jasmine, rose, marigold, saffron, frankincense, cedarwood and sandalwood. All of these are edible so I put them to the test for my birthday cake this January. I fixed a fragrant variety of dehydrated mangoes in sugar perfumed with extracts of rose, jasmine, tuberose, saffron, sandalwood and myrrh among other ingredients. These sugared mango bits were then beaten into heavy cream that I poured over a plain sponge cake. It is this version of perfumed mango that I now produce as Edible Perfume™ for my audiences to imbibe the essence of Bagh-e Hind beyond viewing it online.
Bagh-e Hind Kulfi
Fat is an excellent carrier of aroma molecules, so, heavy cream, or chocolate and butter become spectacular mediums for maximising the flavour-impact of this floral-fruity composition. One can savour 20 grams of this mango-perfume on its own or whip it into saffron ice-cream, or set into chocolate. Or add it to a hot jelly solution just before the gelatin starts to set — Just don’t cook, heat or boil it.
I’m crafting a limited batch so hit reply to pre-order.
Pleasure-Reading
Flavours of Absence: Last year, I commissioned London based Indian designer and poet Jaya Modi to reflect on the flavours embedded in her memories (mulberries, chai, cardamom). I also crafted a mulberries-smashed-on-concrete perfume which is available on request.
Bagh e Hind - A Sensory Experience: In our recent interview with Bayt al Fann, I reflect on what “Bagh-e Hind” means to me as a South Asian diaspora, and the process of building a world so opulent, yet made within our grasp through a digital multisensory archive.
Edible Perfume Trademark: Food historian and journalist Vritti Bansal interviewed me on my reasons for protecting my IP and the (gendered) politics of crafting perfume. While I think my work very obviously presents as femme, I kept my identity ambiguous on @Litrahbperfumery. The attar industry in South Asia being rather uncle-dominated, I often entertained (dead-end) enquiries that opened with a “Hello brother…”. Only late last September did I lift the purdah once it became apparent that almost 100% of people supporting my practice, new and returning, are women.
Visual Nosegays: Plants and Scent in Early Modern South Asian Painting: I commissioned historian Nicolas Roth to articulate on the significance of our Bagh-e Hind and the methodology through which we bring gardens, plants and other sensorially fragrant aspects of Mughal and Rajput paintings to the fore, a first in the history of exhibition-making. His essay is now available to read in our virtual catalogue. Our exhibition, including his essay, is compressed into the aforementioned Edible Perfume, which I will now proceed to eat.
(Micro) Perfume of the Season
I received some wild responses to Newsletter 03. How surprising that so many of us haven’t encountered a good perfume that captures the voluptuousness of fragrant tuberoses in the (commercial) luxury fragrance segment! So, I made a micro batch of “Tuberose” that liberates tuberoses from their mass market-cheap-carnal-flower-male-gaze associations. It is no wonder I have been running away from tuberoses for years, only using its floral extract in minute quantities to enhance previous seasons’ perfumes such as Nutmeg (2019) and Mitti (2021). My version lets the flower lean into its green vegetal, even fruity notes, followed by its narcotic sweetness (tobacco + castoreum + civet) tempered with the creaminess of gardenia and sandalwood.
In a blink, this limited edition was sold out! (My favourite part was adding a gift of incense-as-invitations to our exhibition Bagh-e Hind with each order). So here’s a heads up for the upcoming micro batch perfume.
Coffee & Frankincense: The absent-minded whiff of louban incense that I had lit earlier in the day, in combination with the coffee I was preparing, unwittingly sparked an idea for this new perfume! Frankincense & Coffee will be ready by 1st April. Apart from the two principal ingredients, this composition has floral top notes of orange blossom and heliotrope. An incense version is in the works. Hit reply if you’d like a full description of this fragrance and to reserve 5ml extrait de parfum — once it’s gone, it’s gone.
While I reorganise my Shop over the coming months, it’s easiest to reply to this email to reserve your batch.