Herbs, recipes and potions to be used in love are often met with in text as old as Atharvaveda; and
taken to refined height of documentation in Vatsayana’s Kamasutra. Besides Vatsayana’s treatise, the Indian Kama Shastra or discipline of sensuality contains six other texts – The Ratirahasya, or secrets of love; The Panchasakya, or the five arrows; The Smara Pradipa, or the light of love; The Ratimanjari, or the garland of love; The Rasmanjari, or the sprout of love; and The Anunga Runga, or the stages of love. While the origin of sensuality lies in the mythology of Shiva- Parvati’s union, Mahabharata, the great epic, is also considered one of the texts of Kama Shastra. Besides, the principles of Tantra and art in Natyashastra are critical to sensuality.

ForkTales brought together the research based on all the above texts to create Aupamishadika – the art of Love. It was a journey of awareness and pleasure of the five senses of hearing, feeling, seeing, tasting, and smelling, assisted by the mind and the soul, that brings about a complete, sustained and fulfilling experience of sensual love. The journey was strung together using stories and food designed from tenets of Kama Shastra texts as the medium.

Food, spices and herbs mentioned in the texts for their aphrodisiac properties, for strength and stamina, for beauty and hygiene was used in creating the menu. The use of the ingredients were cross referenced with Ayurvedic texts. The food and the experience was crafted to satiate all the five senses, in keeping with the tenets of sensuality and to appeal the modern palate.

It was an ambitious table to out together. A complicated story to tell. It was also out first pre-plated, sit down service at home. It was a glorious group of beautiful women who were part of the table and the knowledge and discussion that they brought on board added to the evening.

For us, the experience that we wanted to recreate was that the consciousness of pleasure which arises from all five senses and is called Kama.