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FROM NOODLES TO PARANTHAS, CHOCOLATES & BEYOND – THE 7 SECRETS OF FOOD WRITING


Slurping steamy spiced noodles from a bowl while heavy monsoon rains drip outside…

Relishing a fold of butter-soaked crispy-flaked potato parantha on a wintery Sunday morning

Sipping a glass of iced rose sherbet to relieve summer afternoon’s burning heat

Chewing onto a herby, cheese-dipped pepper-flavoured pizza crust on a movie night

Munching from a box of crunchy chips along with your best buddy

Relishing a raw juicy salad of freshly cut fruits & veggies

Scooping a spoonful of nutty chocolate-dipped fudge bar melting on your tongue….

 

There is certainly a certain kind of pleasure in food; that can never be underestimated.

This feeling of pleasure causes the topic of ‘food writing’ one of the most evocative forms of writing.

In fact, writing about food is as exciting as the food itself!

In this video, I am presenting the top-secret ingredients that make a piece of food writing as delicious as the food you’re writing about!

So, let’s breeze through these!

 

#1 ADD FOOD-RELATED SENSORY DETAILING

What does this food item or dish appeal to your five senses?

How does this cooking process appear to you?

How’d you describe the first overall impression that you got after seeing that dish in a palette or that process of cooking going on in the kitchen?

What is the overall visual appearance? – Write about it..

The shape(s), colour(s) and consistency…

What are the textures involved?

Write about the smells and aromas involved.

 

#2 WRITE ABOUT FLAVOURS & TASTES

How does the food feel like as soon as it enters your mouth and you start chewing or swallowing or sipping it bit by bit?

What is the dominant taste? – Is it spicy or is it sweet? – Bitter? Astringent? Sour? Salty? – Write about it.

What are the flavours involved?

What according to you will be the best companions with this food for adding to its taste? – Write about the best toppings, side-dishes and garnishes related to it.

Describe the flavours involved in your own words while offering the specific and precise details.

 

#3 WRITE ABOUT INGREDIENTS & RECIPE(S)

Write about the category of its cuisine, its main city and the culture surrounding it – its history & inventor etc.

Write about ingredients involved in it, if any

Write about its various recipes & recipes related to it

Are you a chef or do you know one personally (that includes your mother!)? Well, then you can interview them to share with you their secret sauce ingredients & mention these in your content.

 

#4 INCLUDE EDIBILITY DETAILS

Write about the nutritional content, if possible and/or required in your content piece.

In which meal of the day this dish is usually eaten and how?

What is the correct temperature and instrument(s) of eating pertaining to this food, dish or eatable?

 

#5 SPRINKLE TOUCHES OF EMOTIONAL FLAVOUR BY ADDING YOUR PERSONAL ELEMENT RELATED TO THE FOOD(S) YOU’RE WRITING ABOUT!

Write about your own experiences & memories related to the food (dish/product/cuisine)

Do you like these kinds of foods or do you dislike them?

What do you feel, think and imagine about the foods or recipes or cuisines that you’re writing about?

 

#6 MENTION RELATED RESTAURANTS OR PRODUCTS

Is this dish served in a café, or is it a specialty of a street food stall?

Got a knack for writing food product reviews? Collaborate with food bloggers, and include the restaurants or top eateries related to that food/cuisine/dish!

 

#7 EMBELLISH YOUR WRITING WITH FOOD-RELATED QUOTES, PHRASES, IDIOMS & ANECDOTES!

There are tons of idioms, phrases, quotes, proverbs & anecdotes you’ll discover, related to all things food. Utilize them to embellish your content.

Got some wonderful snippets or clippings in your writer’s swipe file? Well, bring them into use by repurposing and quoting in your content piece!

 

Remember the goal is to create a springboard of sensory food narrative in order to salivate the tastebuds in the imagination of the reader!

Thank you, good day, keep writing and remember to subscribe to my channel for more exciting ideas related to writing, art & life!

Sincerely,
Neha

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