In Pune’s Jewish kitchens, culinary heritage does not announce itself with signboards or elaborate menus. It survives in recipes remembered by hand, ingredients measured through familiarity and dishes prepared when an occasion calls for them. The food may remain largely invisible on the city’s dining map, but within the community, every preparation offers a taste of a tradition that continues to endure.

From sweet, coconut-laced Malida to crisp passover matzah, the Bene Israel community’s food traditions tell a story of faith, migration and inheritance, preserved not in restaurants, but in family kitchens.

Yosef Nowgaonkar, President of the Jewish community in Pune , says: “A lot of our food is a mixture of our Jewish traditions and the Konkani influence.”

A handful of flattened rice, a generous helping of grated coconut, sugar and dry fruits: the ingredients of Malida are simple, but the memories they hold run deep.…