Dr Mukta Das

I am a food anthropologist and a research associate at the SOAS Food Studies Centre.

My doctoral research focused on the food histories and cultures of Asia, and particularly on the way that migrants have shaped Cantonese food in coastal Southern China. This research has helped me theorise about how minority food cultures have shaped the ordinary food of majority groups.

I produce a weekly audio newsletter – XO Soused – with 2 Michelin-Star British born Chinese chef, Andrew Wong. You can listen to episodes on substack

I have interviewed eminent Chinese food scholars as part of the virtual, interactive Modern Chinese Foodways conference (April 2021), with my colleague Chenjia Xu. Watch some of the interviews on the conference Youtube channel

I’ve talked about the place of the sandwich in British identity on BBC Radio 4’s The Food Programme and added a bit more background on medium. I have talked about food and identity on Brooklyn-based Heritage Radio Network’s show Meant to be Eaten and at live events at the Tate Modern, at Asia House and during the British Library Food Season.

I’ve written about race, restaurants and the impact of COVID-19 with Chef Andrew Wong on finedininglovers.

Andrew and I research recipes from Chinese historical texts and we have written about this in a series for Great British Chefs and have talked about this on The Pass Podcast. We also almost presented at the cancelled SXSW in March 2020. Andrew has talked about our research process in many outlets, from the Independent to The Caterer.

I have produced a short podcast series exploring what we mean when we talk about ‘good food‘.

In academia I have taught undergraduates and postgraduate students at SOAS, have written about race and power, and its affect on the tasting mouth in Gastronomica, the Journal of Food and Culture and, with Celia Plender, have written on the spaces for tasting British cheese at Neal’s Yard Dairy in Space, Taste and Affect.