Now regarded by many as the world authority on Indian food, Madhur Jaffrey was born in Delhi and is an award-winning actress and bestselling cookery author. Her first book, An Invitation to Indian Cookery, was published in 1973 and since then she has written over 15 cookbooks, now considered classics in their field, including Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible and Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian. She has appeared in over 20 films, including Merchant Ivory's Heat and Dust and Cotton Mary. In 2006 she published her memoir of childhood, Climbing the Mango Trees.