The Jackfruit Chronicles

Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen

HarperNorth/HarperCollins (2025)

From award-winning food writer and novelist Shahnaz Ahsan comes a heartfelt memoir: The Jackfruit Chronicles.

With insight and love, Shahnaz guides us through the vibrant flavours and captivating story of Bengali food and its place in Britain. Beginning with the arrival of Shahnaz’s grandfather, Habib, in Manchester in the 1950s, this is a spellbinding journey not just through one family story, but also the broader tale of the Bangladeshi diaspora’s quest for a new life in Britain.

Shahnaz beautifully weaves together this narrative of migration and hope with treasured family recipes, including dishes like sour tomato broth, jackfruit kofta curry, lentil fritters, fish with clementine peels and much more.

The Jackfruit Chronicles is a moving exploration of family, food and what it means to belong.

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  • “Full of heart and wit that's deliciously enriching”

    — Angela Hui

  • “Balm for the soul: a heartwarming story told with love, compassion – and a host of gorgeous recipes.”

    Orlando Murrin

  • “An intimate, touching and fascinating story of a family's resilience and adaptability.”

    Jenny Linford

  • “An important and overdue story of a community served with a side helping of delicious and precious family memories. I devoured it.”

    Mallika Basu

  • “My favourite type of cookbook is the culinary memoir, where each recipe is given life and colour and love. Shahnaz’s may be the best I have ever read.”

    Mimi Aye

  • “A vital read to not only understand a South Asian diaspora identity, but also what it means to be British … full of humour, fun and love.”

    Anna Sulan Masing

  • “The writing draws you in from the first page, accompanied with dishes that linger on both the tongue and in the heart.”

    Sumayya Usmani