With global trends and multinational narratives challenging the nutritional value of traditional Indian dishes, it is crucial to preserve the unique flavours and benefits that define Indian cuisine, writes Anil Rajput
Air, water, and food are essential for life, and in India, they have had a revered status from the beginning of civilisation. In this article, I will focus on the third—Indian Food and cuisine! The history and deep connection of Bharat with food are perhaps among the oldest in the world; it is actually timeless. The people of early Vedic civilisations in India were nomadic pastoralists who practiced elaborate rituals to placate their gods. Agni, the god of fire, was considered the mouth through which the gods ate their sacrifices, and one of his favourite foods was ghee (clarified butter), which remains popular to this day. The Indus Valley Civilisation that spanned from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE was known for barley, millet, ragi, amaranth, wheat, sorghum, rice, as well as oilseeds such as sesame, linseed, and mustard.
The traditional Indian palate has evolved over centuries and includes the traditional Ayurvedic way of living, which is a 6000-year-old healthcare system and lays special emphasis on Ahara (diet) and Anna (food) as means of good life, health, and wellness. One of the fundamental teachings of Ayurvedic tradition is that everything in the universe is composed of five elements—earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space)—and the tastes are no different; each taste contains all five elements, with each taste predominantly composed of two elements. There are six such tastes: Sweet (Madhura)—Earth and water, Sour (Amla)—Earth and Fire, Salty (Lavana)—Water and Fire, Pungent (Katu)—Fire and Air, Bitter (Tikta)—Air and Ether, Astringent (Kashaya)—Air and Earth. In addition, Ayurveda describes foods as sattvic (pure or balanced), rajasic (active or increasing the energy of the body), and tamasic (heavy or reducing the energy of the body).
The Sanskrit grammarian Panini, in his work Ashtadhyayi (6th–5th century BCE), describes three categories of food: meat, lentil-based soup, and vegetables. Chanakya’s Arthasastra, a manual on how to run a kingdom that may date in part to the 4th century BCE, elaborately describes how certain foods are to be prepared, most of them with spices.
Foreign invasions have had a profound impact on Indian food. When Alexander came to India in 350 BCE, several parts of the country were introduced to fresh herbs like mint, coriander, oregano, and essential oils like olive oil. The Turk-Mongol conqueror Timur brought the precursor of Biryani when he arrived at the frontiers of India. The biryani, a celebratory meal made using meat, rice, yogurt, onion, and spices, originated in Persia but evolved in India during this era. Biryani now has multiple variants across the country, with the most popular ones credited to the Mughals and the nizams of Hyderabad. The Islamic conquest of India also introduced fruits such as apricots, melons, and plums, as well as a rich gravy style of cooking. Kebabs cooked over coals and pilaf became popular during this period and are still classified as Mughlai cuisine in present-day India.
To the east, in West Bengal and Odisha, the amount of spice used in cooking decreases, and the use of mustard oil is more common. There is much importance given in this region to ‘Shadrasa’ or the six basic flavours in Ayurveda, with particular emphasis on tikta (the bitter taste). The cuisine of northeastern India is rice-based—rice is grown on terraced fields in the region’s hilly terrain—and freshwater fish appears in many dishes, as does pork, mutton, and chicken. This reflects the cohesive nature of Indian regional cuisines, where the use of local ingredients and the customisation/ modification of dishes from different regions is done with perfection.
In southern India, rice is the staple food, and it is eaten with sambhar, a watery stew comprising lentils, tamarind, and vegetables. Many fruits and vegetables are pickled and consumed with meals, and coconut oil and gingelly (sesame) oils are used as the mediums for cooking. Seafood is common along the coast, along with high sugar and salt content, which is scientifically supported due to the high humidity and the resulting loss of body fluids from excessive perspiration in these regions. Within southern India, there are also diverse cuisines—Andhra, Tamil, Chettinad, Kerala, and Mangalore, among others. Each region cooks sambhar differently and uses different varieties of rice. Tamil cuisine classifies food into six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent—and aspires to include each taste in every main meal.
The west coast of India has its own distinct cuisines. In Goa, rice and fish are staples. Goan Hindu cuisine is less spicy and includes many vegetables, though little onion and garlic. Portuguese cuisine in Goa includes meat and uses a vinegar-based gravy (vindaloo) for many dishes. The arrival of New World vegetables by way of the Portuguese in the 16th century resulted in further changes to Indian cuisines. They introduced chilies, tomatoes, potatoes, and peanuts, and brought beans, corn, cashews, peppers, and more from the Americas. Vinegar, which is used to season achaar and chutneys, was also introduced by them in India.
In coastal Maharashtra, fish and rice are quite common, Mutton Kohlapuri is famed, and then there is the legendary Pav Bhaji. Things change within the state as well, and we find the increased consumption of millets and groundnuts in inland areas instead of rice and coconut. Further north, Gujarat is predominantly vegetarian, and most dishes have some sweetness due to the use of sugar. This is quite unique to the state and indicative of the sheer variety and changes.
