Edible insects are part of traditional foods from southeast Asia (Image used for representational purposes)
| Photo Credit: Getty Images
The Science Gallery in Bengaluru unveiled its year-long exhibition, Calorie, earlier this year. Through art installations, workshops and interactive games, the exhibition explores our relationship with food, nutrition and agriculture. Now as part of Calorie, the gallery is hosting a food festival titled Namma Oota. The festival has food stalls from various brands, as well as talks, masterclasses and a quiz.
An installation from the exhibition
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
Food stalls at the event include brands such as Wallflour Patisserie & Kitchen, who will allow your to build your own dessert. City-based The Cubbon Table create small-batch products rooted in regional preservation and fermentation traditions, so visitors can try fermented raw foods and preserves. Aruvu Collaboratory is bringing fresh produce and millet dishes from Channapatna and Bidar regions. The non-profit ATREE is focused on environmental conservation and sustainable development. Their stall will have edible insects from their research on the topic. Expect silkworm Manchurian and chilli garlic crickets.
Founding director of the gallery, Jahnavi Phalkey, says, “Namma Oota extends the questions we ask in our current exhibition Calorie. We want visitors to think about how we understand nutrition, what shapes our food systems and how our choices affect the world around us. Through workshops and interactive stalls, we explore themes like alternative foods, fermentation, preservation traditions and the stories behind everyday ingredients. It gives visitors a chance to engage with the science of food in a relaxed and accessible way.”
The festival also has talks by experts. Kurush Feroze Dalal, a culinary anthropologist, is hosting a public lecture as part of the Food Festival called Food: The Greatest Mnemonic. “The session is about food and memories. Food is the greatest mnemonic known to mankind. Food is all about memories you have made or are making, these are not always good, some can be sad and bitter too. This talk discusses food and memory and what they mean to us.”
Founding director of the gallery, Jahnavi Phalkey
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement
Namma Oota is intentionally small and curated. Jahnavi concludes, “We want visitors to learn something new after their visit. The stalls bring together a range of ideas, from moringa-based products and fermented spices to edible insects, each offering a different view of how food might evolve in the future. We are also delighted to welcome the musicians BluesGhat to the festival.”
Entry free. December 6- 7. At The Science Gallery, Bellary Road. For more details and the full schedule, visit bengaluru.sciencegallery.com
Published – December 03, 2025 04:58 pm IST
