The world has its own - different cultures, cuisines, and customs with a rich heritage, the history of Indian cuisine is as old as our civilization. The Indian dining etiquette is built on traditions and behind almost every tradition are centuries of invasions, conquests, religious beliefs, political changes, and social customs. People from the Indus valley cooked with wild grains, herbs, and plants. Most of them are staples today. The Mughals saw food as an art and made us familiar with the fragrance of rose water, the texture of yogurt and desi ghee, and the use of spices. The Chinese introduced the tradition of tea, Portuguese made red chili popular and from the British, we borrowed the dinner decorum of being conservative. The prasadam served at temples, the langar at Gurudwaras, or the lavish Iftar meals are a reflection of our diverse ethnicity. Here’s exploring some ancient food traditions that form the basis of our culinary reputation and have left a significant mark on our multicultural cuisine.
Religious Symbols
The Indian traditions and scriptures contain various signs and symbols which have multiple meanings. For example, the usage of the Swastika, is the symbol of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. The arms of the Swastika signify the four Vedas, the four constellations, or the four primary aims of human pursuit.
Eating with hands
Eating with your fingers stimulates these five elements and helps in bringing forth digestive juices in the stomach. The nerve endings on your fingertips are known to stimulate digestion and feeling your food becomes a way of signaling the stomach that you are about to eat. This tradition has its roots in Ayurveda and eating is supposed to be a sensory experience and eating with your hands evokes emotion and passion.
Serving Food on Banana Leaves
An authentic Southern meal is mostly served on a banana leaf, especially in Kerala eating food on a banana leaf is considered healthy. Placing hot food on these leaves emanates several nutrients that enrich your food as they contain large amounts of polyphenols; a natural antioxidant found in many plant-based foods. It also adds to the aroma of food and enhances the taste. The use of banana leaves dates back to a time before metal became the mainstay.
One Plate for All
The Bohri Muslim community follows a tradition of eating from one huge platter called the thal. The meal begins by sitting around the platter and passing the salt. After every family member has tasted it, the first course is served. The entire family eats out of the same platter which should never be left unattended after the meal has been placed. It is considered auspicious to start their meal with a sweet dish.
Jol Pan
A tradition followed across Bengal and Assam, jol pan is a quick snack that is often eaten before breakfast. It is offered to guests and at weddings and special occasions. In a humid land, your body's ability to fight disease depends on the diet. Thus, curd with its cooling properties acts as a great reliever. Jol pan is also accompanied by a steaming cup of tea.
The Great Indian Thalis
The thali is a wholesome meal which you would find in many regions like Rajasthan, Gujarat or down South, complete with light and lovely curries, local greens, dals, rice, and Indian breads. The beauty of the thali is that while it’s a significant part of our culture, it offers a scientific approach to nutrition. If you look at any of them, they represent the food pyramid of today with carbohydrates from grains, fiber from fruits and vegetables, and nutrients from dairy products like yogurt. It’s a balanced diet where variety is at its best.
North Indian Food
Food in north India, to begin with, Kashmiri cuisines reflect strong Central Asian influences. In Kashmir, mostly all the dishes are prepared around the main course of rice found abundantly in the beautiful valley. But on the other hand states like the Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh show high consumption of chapatis as a staple food. However, in the northern region impact of Mughlai food is quite obvious.
West Indian Food
In western India, the desert cuisine is famous for its unique taste and varieties of food. Rajasthan and Gujarat are the states that represent the dessert flavor of Indian food. In the states like Maharashtra, the food is usually a mix of both north as well as south cooking styles. In Goa, which is further down towards the south, one can notice Portuguese influence in the cooking style as well as in the dishes.
East Indian Food
In eastern India, the Bengali and Assamese styles of cooking are noticeable. The staple food of Bengalis is the yummy combination of rice and fish and a special way of preparing the delicacy known as ‘Hilsa’ is by wrapping it in the pumpkin leaf and then cooking it. Another unusual ingredient that is commonly used in Bengali cooking is the ‘Bamboo Shoot’. Various sweets prepared in this region, by using milk include the ‘Roshogollas’, ‘Sandesh’, ‘Cham-cham’, and many more.
South Indian Food
In southern India, the states make great use of spices, fishes, and coconuts, as most of them have coastal kitchens. In the foods of Tamil Nadu use of tamarind is frequently made to impart sourness to the dishes. The cooking style of Andhra Pradesh is supposed to make excessive use of chilies, which is obviously to improve the taste of the dishes. In Kerala, some of the delicious dishes are the lamb stew and appams. Another famous item of this region is the sweetened coconut milk. Yet another dish is Puttu, which is glutinous rice powder steamed like a pudding in a bamboo shoot.
Family Structure - Joint Families
In India, there exists the concept of a joint family, wherein the entire family (parents, wife, children, and in some cases, relatives) all live together. This is mostly because of the cohesive nature of the Indian society, and also reportedly helps in handling pressure and stress.
Marriage - Arranged Marriage System
The concept of arranged marriage in India traces its origin to as early as the Vedic times. For royal families, a ceremony known as the 'Swayambar' would be arranged for the bride. Suitable matches from all over the kingdom were invited to either compete in some competition to win over the bride, or the bride would herself choose her ideal husband.
Scriptures – Epics
The most famous Hindu epics are Ramayana and Mahabharata by Ved Vyasa, which is the longest poem written in Sanskrit. Indian literature can be traced back to the great epics written in the form of poems, plays, stories, and even self-help guides. Both these epics are written to highlight human values of sacrifice, loyalty, devotion, and truth. The moral of both stories signify the triumph of good over evil.
Hyderabadi biriyani
Biriyani entered the foray of Indian gastronomy with the incoming Mughals, and it hasn’t left with their departure. Among the numerous biriyani styles, Hyderabadi biriyani stands out due to the mode of cooking and ingredients and a significant amount of spices to give it a full-on punchy flavor.
Thirunelli Thrimadhuram at Maha Vishnu Temple
Thrimadhuram means the triple sweet, made of sugar, banana, and honey with a tinge of ghee. It is not difficult to prepare. But the one available in Thirunelli Maha Vishnu Temple has a taste of its own. The taste lingers on your tongue for many days after you have tasted it.
Mahaprasad—Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha
The Jagannath Temple in Puri is special for many reasons, but what truly sets it apart from other temples is the mammoth operation undertaken by its kitchen. Called mahaprasad, the meal here is made of a whopping 56 items and is cooked by a small army called mahasupakars. It is said these chefs don’t cook in their own homes, but only make food for Lord Jagannath in the temple. Seasonal produce, native rice varieties, and vegetables such as yam, brinjal, and red pumpkin are cooked to perfection and offered as bhog at five different times of the day, making sure that the gods are well fed. The mahaprasad is called Anna Brahma, or the supreme among sacred foods.
Tirupati Temple's famous Laddu Prasadam
No pilgrimage to the Tirupati Balaji Temple is complete without the laddu prasad and is the most sought after prasad type at the richest Hindu temple in the world. Tirupati Laddu or SriVari Laddu is the laddu sweet offered as Naivedhyam to Venkateswara at Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati. The laddu prasadam is prepared within the temple kitchen known as 'Potu' by the temple board Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams according to Dittam(list of ingredients and its proportions used in the making of Tirupati Laddu).
Pongal-Attukal Bhagavathy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Lakhs and lakhs of women congregate at the annual Pongal, stooping over to stir brass or earthen pots on stoves made of firewood or bricks on the ground, to cook their sacred offering of Pongal, a dish made of rice cooked in milk and jaggery syrup, mashed bananas, grated coconut, and cardamom. Legend has it that the Tamil epic heroine Kannagi, after burning down Madurai in anger because the Pandya king had wrongly killed her husband, reached this spot to pray and let her rage cool. The women of the village, having heard of the piety of Kannagi, gathered to welcome her and cooked sweet Pongal in her honor.
Purple Prasad, Chak Hao Kheer-Sri Govindajee Temple, Imphal, Manipur
A nutty-flavored black rice is grown here, and it looks dark purple when cooked. At the Sri Govindajee Temple in Imphal, the 19th-century king Maharaja Nara Singh began the ritual of offering Chak hao kheer as prasad. This is a pudding made of black rice, cooked in milk and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, and flavored with cardamom and nuts. The temple priests are said to slow cook the pudding and the result is a decadent purple kheer that is both delicious and nutritious.
Blessed Biryani-Muniyandisamy Temple, Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Locals mark their festivals by praying to the guardian muni and offering him produce, including vegetables, fruits, and animals for sacrifice. Every January, during the harvest festival, the people of the village Vadakkampatti near Madurai offer their famous biryani as prasad to the guardian deity of the Muniyandisamy Temple. The biryani is made of thousands of kilos of rice, sacrificial chickens and goats and harvested vegetables. Many villagers take on the role of cooks to stir the aromatic rice preparation in huge cauldrons on firewood stoves throughout the night. The biryani is served as breakfast to the villagers after the early morning-prayer rituals to their guardian deity.
The Magical Jam, Panchamritham-Dhandayudhapani Temple, Palani, Tamil Nadu
The sacred offering in this temple is the panchamrutham, or, the five-nectar jam. In the temple kitchen, the jam is made of more than five ingredients—bananas from Virupachi village in the Palani hills, jaggery, sugar candy, dates, raisins, ghee, and cardamom. The proportion of each ingredient remains a secret known only to those who work in the temple kitchen, and the Palani Murugan idol of navapashanam is washed using this sweet jam. It is then offered as a potent prasad to devotees.
Kottarakkara Unniyappam at Ganapathi Temple
Unniyappam is a tiny, round roasted rice cake made of jaggery and banana. The snack is available all across Kerala in bakeries or snack-shops. But the best of the lot is available at Kottarakkara Ganapathi Temple. It is made using rice, jaggery, and a special variety of banana called Kadali. This is said to be Lord Ganapathi’s favorite snack item.
Sabarimala Aravana at Lord Aiyyappa Temple
Aravana is another kind of rice pudding made of jaggery and ghee which is not boiled but roasted to last for several weeks. The most famous one is the aravana from Sabarimala Temple and Lord Aiyyappa needs no introduction. It must be the most visited temple in Kerala and other states. Aravana is commercially prepared for the temple and it is available in plastic bottles.
Aranmulla Valla Sadya at Parthasarathy Temple
It is one of 108 Sacred Lands and offers a full-course Keralan feast, called Aranmulla Valla Sadya, for just over two months every year. It coincides with the Onam celebration and the season of Boat racing in Kerala. Aranmulla Valla Sadya comprises of 64 dish varieties. Legend says that Lord Krishna himself halted a boat and boat would move only if sufficient rice and another farm produces are given to an impoverished local Brahmin family for preparing their Onam feast. The kings obliged and sent sufficient rice and vegetables to the Brahmin family. The local king also decided to conduct an Onam feast every year so that there would be no one in his country starving during Onam. And that feast is now called Aranmulla Valla Sadya.
Amabalapuzha Palpayasam at Sreekrishna Swami Temple
Palpayasam or rice pudding made of milk and sugar is available in many varieties across Kerala. But none is better than Ambalapuzha Palapayasam. This sweet dish is a specialty of the centuries-old Ambalapuzha Sreekrishna Swami Temple. It is said that one day Lord Krishna, disguised as an old man, visited the Ambalapuzha Palace and challenged the King for a game of chess. After winning, Lord Krishna showed his real identity and asked the king to pay the rice grains in installments and prepare Palapayasam each time. Thus, Ambalapuzha Palpayasam was born. It is believed that Lord Krishna comes to the temple every evening to taste this Payasam.
