A Short Indian Food Story: (For the Traveller in a Hurry)

By Dr. Anshumali Pandey

About the book:

The world sings praises about the Indian cuisine. Divided into four basic regional styles of cooking and presenting food, namely North Indian Cuisine, South Indian Cuisine, East Indian Cuisine and West Indian Cuisine, overall, India has the largest variety of dishes to appease the sweet, salty and spicy factions and holds the crown of being the world’s most flavoured cuisine.

Modern Indian food carries the weight of maintaining traditional trends of the various Indian cuisines which include both the Hindu vegetarian diet and the Muslim delicacies. But in way it puts a twist of its own by involving foreign cuisines which have helped in developing and broadening the palate of people hereby assimilating various food cultures of the world under one roof.
About the author:

Dr. Anshumali Pandey is renowned in the field of Hospitality Tourism and Tribal Food. He is a Chef and a Teacher by profession, author, business auditor, and an avid culinary traveller to the Sub continental hinterlands.
Queries are welcomed: [e-mail]

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pencil
• Release date: Apr 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9789354389658

Book preview

A Short Indian Food Story

(For the Traveller in a Hurry)

BY

Dr. Anshumali Pandey

---

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ISBN 9789354389658

© Dr. Anshumali Pandey 2021

Published in India 2021 by Pencil

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One Point Six Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

123, Building J2, Shram Seva Premises,

Wadala Truck Terminal, Wadala (E)

Mumbai 400037, Maharashtra, INDIA

E [e-mail]

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Any person who commits an unauthorized act in relation to this publication can be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Publisher.

Author biography

Dr. Anshumali Pandey is renowned in the field of Hospitality Tourism and Tribal Food. He is a Chef and a Teacher by profession, author, business auditor, and an avid culinary traveller to the Sub continental hinterlands.

Queries are welcomed: [e-mail]

Contents

Origins

Overview

The South

Eight State Wonder

Health Benefits

Kebabs

Habits and Rituals

Great Indian Equalizer

Indian Kosher

Indian Meal Planner

Preface

The world sings praises about the Indian cuisine. Divided into four basic regional styles of cooking and presenting food, namely North Indian Cuisine, South Indian Cuisine, East Indian Cuisine and West Indian Cuisine, overall, India has the largest variety of dishes to appease the sweet, salty and spicy factions and holds the crown of being the world’s most flavoured cuisine.

Modern Indian food carries the weight of maintaining traditional trends of the various Indian cuisines which include both the Hindu vegetarian diet and the Muslim delicacies. But in way it puts a twist of its own by involving foreign cuisines which have helped in developing and broadening the palate of people hereby assimilating various food cultures of the world under one roof.

India has a glorious tradition of healthy food. People in India have always respected food and this can be seen even today. In Indian tradition, food is placed next to God and that is the reason why food forms a main part of ceremonies and religious celebrations. Indian food is born from the concept of Ayurveda. Ayurveda comprises two word—ayus, meaning life and Vedas, study or knowledge; hence Ayurveda means knowledge of life, which begins from the basic ingredient ‘food’.

Indians had a very healthy lifestyle—the most common profession was farming and hence fresh produce would be cultivated for consumption. All good health starts with good digestion and strong metabolism. Food is as powerful as any medicine. There is a shlok in Ayurveda which means food is medicine if consumed properly.

Dr. Anshumali Pandey

Author

Origins

The origins of Indian cookery lie with the Ancient Indian Civilization called the Harrappan Civilization. Harappa and Mohenjodaro were two ancient cities on the Indian Sub-continent and currently situated in Pakistan. The other cities of the Harappan civilization have been excavated in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh belts of the Indian Side.

Comming back to the Harappans, it is interesting to note that the inhabitants of Harappan civilization were called Dravadian or Native Indians, and the cities were comparable to the Modern towns and not on simple agrarian system. They had huge Granaries to store grains, houses with functional drainage systems, pathways, roads and public baths and toilets as well. The Harappans were the first to sow the seeds of Ayurveda (Life Science), which is the foundation of the Indian Cookery. This system of cookery was derived after studying in detail about the physical needs, mental needs and needs of our psychology and spirituality. 

The population of Mohenjodaro and Harappa were pushed to the southern parts of India in search of safety as the invasions of the Aryans became more frequent who came from Europe and Asia Minor regions. It is not very clear where the Aryans originated from but Aryan race are to be found in Europe, Persia, and India. In fact the Swastika, a good luck symbol of the Aryan culture is still very prevalent and relevant in India. The Idea of Ayurveda was developed further by the Aryan scholars. Many of the texts on this subject were written during this period.

In Ayurveda, Ahara (diet), Nidra (sleep) and Bramhacharya (celibacy) are considered as the sub pillars of life. Any treatment includes a change in life style and food habits of the individual, and therefore, a holistic Ayurvedic approach has a better answer for many chronic problems. In Ayurveda, regulation of diet is very crucial, since it examines the whole human body as the product of food.

Ayurveda illustrates how an individual can recuperate himself by establishing the connection between the elements of life - food and body. According to the Ayurvedic concept, food is responsible for different aspects of an individual, including his physical, temperamental and mental states. But to stay healthy, maintaining a stable healthy diet routine is essential. The body absorbs nutrients as a result of digestion. In order to create healthy cells, our body must be able to extract all the required nutrients easily from the food we eat.

Ayurveda places proper guidelines on the types of food that we must consume, in the right proportions and combinations. An important component of Ayurvedic diet and nutrition is to minimize the amount of toxins in what we consume and to maximize the amount of nutrients. What we eat, determines our overall health and well-being. The dietary practices in Ayurveda encourage a conscious way of living and it encourages us to embrace food as life giving energy. It is a practice based on science and spirit, and thus Ayurveda influences us on all levels of our conscience.

Archaeologists can tell what Indus Valley people ate by examining the teeth and bones of skeletons they discover. They also examine rubbish pits for animal bones, seafood shells, fruit seeds and other food remains for clues to their diet. Indus people kept cattle, pigs, sheep and goats for food. Cows provided milk and meat. Farmers grew fruit such as dates, grapes and melons, and field crops such as wheat and peas. Indus Valley people ate a healthy diet. Most people probably ate more fruit and vegetables than meat.

The Harappans grew lentils and other pulses (peas, chickpeas, green gram, and black gram). Their main staples were wheat and barley, which were presumably made into bread and perhaps also cooked with water as a gruel or porridge. In some places, particularly Gujarat, they also cultivated some native millets; possibly broomcorn millet, which may have been introduced from southern Central Asia; and by 2000 BC, if not before, African millets.

Meat came mainly from cattle, but the Harappans also kept chickens, buffaloes and some sheep and goats, and hunted a wide range of wildfowl and wild animals such as deer, antelopes and wild boar. They also ate fish and shellfish from the rivers, lakes and the sea; as well as being eaten fresh, many fish were dried or salted – many bones from marine fish such as jack and catfish were found at Harappa, far inland.

For more than two thousand years, India has handled one invasion after another. India is one of a very few ancient civilizations that has survived today. Here is the list of major foreign influences on the Indian Cuisine.

Datelines of foreign influence on Indian Cuisine.  

• The Greeks (via Alexander the Great) 336 B.C.E. - 323 B.C.E.

• The Arabs and The Turks 636 C.E.- 1600 C.E

• The Chinese 627 C.E – Till date

• The Mughals (via Babur) 1526 C.E. - 1857 C.E.

• The Portuguese (Via Vasco-da-Gama) 1498 C.E.-1961C.E.

• The French 1668 C.E. –1954 C.E.

• The British 1600 C.E.– 1947C.E.

• Post Independence C.E. 1947 and forever.

THE GREEKs

With the conquest of India by Alexander the great in 350 BC, the Greeks brought their profound herbs and spices. Indo Greek relationship strengthened during the reign of Chandragupta Maurya’s son Bindusara when he imported Greek wine /raisins. As trade flourished during the Greeks between India, Rome and other Mediterranean countries, it brought the usage of saffron and vegetables like eggplant and zucchini. Greek influence in Indian Food led to the introduction of extremely essential herbs and spices to Indian cooking in the recent era.

Saffron was previously grown wild in Persia and Asia Minor and

Reviews for A Short Indian Food Story

[Jayesh Nunes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Its language (English) is very simple and the story about the Indian Food is free flowing told in a fluid fashion. The information provided in the book is valuable for any one visiting India.