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Origins of Indian Cuisine - Indian
Culinary History
A Melting Pot - Varied Culianry Influences, Aspects of Indian Cuisine, Emperor Ashoka's Influence on Indian Cuisine, History of India - Jai Hind, Indian Cooking Techniques, Indian Curry , Indian Entertaining, Kashmiri Indian Cuisine, Mindful Eating, North Indian Cuisine, North Indian Restaurant Guide, Punjabi Indian Cuisine, Rajasthani Indian Cuisine, Role of Spices in Indian Cooking, Sacred Cow - Symbol of a mother and good nature, South India Cuisine, South Indian Restaurant Guide, Tastes of Western India, The Guest is considered God, The People of India, Uttar Pradesh Cuisine, Why Choose Indian Cuisine, Why India became mostly Vegetarian.
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The origins and basis of Indian Cuisine lie with the ancient Indian
civilization of India that was called Harappa and Mohenjodaro. The Dravidians or
inhabitants of these civilization were urban and not agrarian. They had huge
granaries to store grain, houses with a drainage system, pathways or roads and public
baths. They sowed the seeds of Ayurveda,
or Life Sciences, which is the foundation of Indian cuisine. This system was derived after
studying the physical needs, mental needs and needs of our psychology and spirituality. |
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The people of Mohenjodaro and Harrapa were pushed to the South part of
India be the invasion of the Aryans who came from Europe or Asia Minor. It is not
very clear where the Aryans originated from but Aryans 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 in India). The ideas of Ayurveda were developed
further by the Aryans Many of the texts on this subject were written in the
Aryan period.
Indian Culinary Influences by Indian Conquests
1. The Aryans - During the Aryan period the cuisine the Great Hindu Empires
concentrated on the fine aspects of food and to understand its essence and how it
contributed to the development of mind, body and spirit. After this period the
cuisine was influenced by the following conquests from other cultures.
2. Mongolians brought to India their hot pot cooking
3. Persians - the most notable later culinary influence in India was the influence of
Persian rulers who established the Mughal Rule in India. They introduced their
penchant for elegant dining and rich food with dry fruit and nuts (click here for more about
Mughal cuisine)
4. Greeks (Alexander the great)
5. Chinese (from trading and cultural and educational exchanges with them) - the Chinese
introduced stir frys to Indian along with adding the sweet taste to food. Their
influence is mostly felt in Gujarat, Beneras and Bengal.
6. Arabs (traders)
7. Portuguese (the Indian Vindaloo dish is a result of the Portuguese). The tomato,
chilli, and potato, which are staple components of today's Indian cuisine, were brought to
India by the Portugese.
8. British made the ketchup and tea popular in India. British Food did not become
popular in India and the British while in India mainly descibed Indian food as pungent,
chili spiked curries and rice and rotis that were a food for uncivilized pagans but
ironically today Indian food forms a staple diet of British food. |
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Personal Note :
Even today I believe that the Idli/Sambar and
Dosa which is the staple food of South India (where there is a concentration of
Dravidians) is one of the most intellectual and also tasty cuisine that man could devise.
Parboiled rice (helps preserve vitamins unlike polished rice) and dal (lentils) are taken
in the right combinations and then fermented and steamed to deliver a profoundly
nutritious, balanced and tasty meal. This cuisine is ultra light on the earth’s
resources and on the digestive system and hence a true health and wellness meal for both
the environment and the individual. - Kavita
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A Special Mention
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One of the
greatest influences on India’s cuisine occurred in the 2nd century B.C.
The powerful and turned benevolent Emperor Ashoka of that time popularized a vegetarian
cuisine. Even today a majority of Indians are vegetarian. The two other individuals that
helped make India vegetarian are Mahavir
and Buddha. (Also the ancient, urban Dravidian civilization may have been vegetarian.) |
Ashoka was also the first statesman in recorded history that had an
environmental department in his administration. This department set environmental laws,
posted these laws on stone billboards and had an environmental enforcement program.
This
work is dedicated to my dear Greek friend Canalla Ellis with who I had the best of times
planning, creating and giving my classes. Kavita Mehta |
Click here for subscribing Culinary
Journeys
Indian
Cook Books and their Reviews
Akoori - Scrambled Eggs (Parsi) , Alu Methi - Potato Fenugreek Hash Potato Recipe , Aromatic Chicken with Raisins and Cashews , Asparagus, Peas, and Fenugreek Leaves , Avial - Mixed Veggies Kerala Style , Baingan
Raita or Eggplant Raita Dip Recipe , Besan Ladoo - Indian Cookie Balls , Black Chick Peas in Yogurt Curry , Boondi
Raita Recipe - Great for Entertaining , Carrot Pachadi Kerala Style , Carrot
Pachadi Recipe - Kerla Style , Carrot Potato Dill , Carrot Pudding or Gajjar Halwa , Chicken Curry - Simple and Easy to make , Chicken Jalfrezi , Chicken Tikka Makhani - Butter Chicken , Chicken with Coconut Milk , Chilka Urad Dal with Squash , Cucumber
Raita - Summer Yogurt Salad Recipe , Cucumber,
Garlic and Mint Raita Recipe , Dal Makhani - Black Dal Chili or Mah ki Dal , Date Pistachio (Ladoo) Treats , Eggplant Puree / Baingan Bharta Recipe from Punjab , Fragrant Chori Lentils , Fragrant
White Urad Dal - Dry Pilaf Texture , Goan Fish Curry , Icecream Topped with mango and Pistachios , Indian
Flat Breads and Equipment , Jalebi - Sweet Crispy Swirls , Kala Channa - Black Garbanzo Salad , Karela Subzi - Bitter gourd in Coconut Milk , Kavita's Herbal Salad , Kavita's Kachumber , Kebab Burger Recipe , Lamb Yogurt Curry from Kashmir , Layered Icecream Dessert - Falooda , Louki (Zucchini) Channa Dal , Madras Chicken Curry , Madras Coconut Chicken Curry , Making
dough for Indian Flatbreads , Masala
Bhindi (Okra in Spicy Gravy) , Masoor Dal with Fried Onion Garnish , Mixed
Lentil (Dal) Chili Recipe , Moong Dal Tadka - Yellow Split Moong Lentils , Moong Dal Whole (Green Gram Lentil) , Mung dal flavored with Black Mustards Seeds , Okra cooked Delhi Style , Onion,
Tomato, Cucumber Raita -Yogurt Salad Recipe , Pakoda , Pan Fried Potato Hash with fresh Fenugreek leaves , Pan
Fried Potato Hash with Indian Spices , Pan Sauteed Okra with Cumin , Paneer Corn Curry , Parsi Poro Recipe - Pan Omelet , Potato
Raita -Yogurt Salad Recipe , Potatoes
crusted with Fennel, Mustard and Nigella , Punjabi Kadhi , Punjabi Kidney Bean Curry - Rajmah , Recipe
- Sprouted Moong Dal , Recipe - Steamed Cauliflower , Recipe for Chapati or Roti or Pulka , Recipe for Plain Parantha , Rice
Lentil Medley - India's popular Kedgeree , Sambhar or Lentil Vegetable Stew - South Indian , Shammi
Kebab Recipe , Sheek
(Skewer) Kebab Recipe , Shrimp Curry in Coconut Milk , South
Indian potatoes with Mustard Seeds , Spiced Tomato Dish - Tamatar Bartha Recipe , Spicy Shrimp Curry , Spicy Sweet and Sour Tamarind Coconut Shrimp , Spinach and Paneer - Palak Paneer Punjabi Style , Spinach
Raita - Yogurt Salad Recipe , Spinach with Scallions India's North West Frontier , Spring Greens Bengali Style - Recipe , Spring Vegetable Soup - Recipe , Steamed Carrot and Beans Recipe , Steamed Carrots and Peas Lightly Spiced , Steamed Zucchini Recipe - Indian Style , Stir
Fry Indian Cabbage Vegetable Recipe , Stir Fry Mustard Greens and Spinach Indian Style , Stir Fry Spinach Indian Style , Sweet and Sour Gujarati Tuvar Dal , Sweet and Sour Hubbard or Acorn Squash , Tandoori Salmon Recipe , Vegetable Lentil Medley - Recipe , Vegetables Gujarati Style or Shak , Vegetarian Kebab (4 Spinach and Green Pea Patties) , Vegetarian Tikka Makhani - Butter Chicken , Vermicelli Dessert called Payasam or Kheer , Whole Brown Lentill - Masoor Dal Biryani , Yogurt
with Bananas Raita - Yogurt Salad Recipe .
This
work is dedicated to my mother Shanta who taught me the tenants of Ayurvedic Cuisine and
Knowledge.
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©
1990 to 2001 - Kavita Mehta. All Rights Reserved.
Kavita has been giving classes on Indian Cuisine in Minneapolis for the
past 10 years. She now shares her work on her website for all to enjoy. |
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