Abstract This article analyses the use of food as a metaphor and how it is connected to the characters in Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Interpreter of Maladies”. Williams points out the general importance of food in literature and on the basis of “A Temporary Matter”, “Mrs. Sen’s” and “A Blessed House” she goes more detailed into the topic. It is portrayed that the food reflects the character’s personality and relationships. Williams makes the conclusion that Lahiri gives the reader an insight into the life of the immigrants, so non-immigrant readers can understand them more easily.