Priya Malhotra on Writing About Food Honestly

Why ban a word like 'delicious'?

Because it tells the reader nothing. It's a placeholder for the actual work of describing what something tastes like, and I think readers can feel the shortcut even if they can't name it.

What do you reach for instead?

Specifics. Not 'delicious soup' but 'a soup that tasted like it had been simmering since before you walked in the door.' It's more work, but it's the only way to actually put the reader at the table.

Has writing about food changed how you cook?

Enormously. I pay more attention now, because I know I'll need the details later. I taste things twice — once as a cook, once as a writer.

What's a piece of food writing advice you'd give a beginner?

Write about the smell before the taste. Most people forget the room a meal happened in, and that's usually the part readers remember longest.